THE 

BEGINNERS  BOOK 
IN  RELIGION 


EDNA  DEAN  BAKER 


'     ::-,:  B  HB 


m  ••••••••• 


CHRIST    BLESSING    LITTLE  CHILDREN 


gfringtion  &eligiou0  Cbucatton  £exts 
Babib  ®.  ZDoumep,  General  Cbttor 

WEEK-DAY  SCHOOL  SERIES  GEORGE  HERBERT  BETTS,  Editor 


THE 

BEGINNERS  BOOK 
IN  RELIGION 


By 

EDNA  DEAN  BAKER 

PRESIDENT  OF  THE  NATIONAL  KINDERGARTEN   AND 
ELEMENTARY  COLLEGE 


THE  ABINGDON  PRESS 

NEW  YORK  CINCINNATI 


Copyright,  1921,  by 

EDNA  DEAN  BAKER 

All  Rights  Reserved 


CONTENTS 

PART  I 
THE  YOUNG  CHILD  AND  HIS  RELIGION 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  EARLY  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 9 

II.  CHILD  NATURE  AND   RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 16 

III.  ACTIVITIES  AND   MATERIALS 25 

IV.  THE  SETTING 36 

V.  THE   PROCEDURE 40 

PART  II 
LESSONS  IN  RELIGION 

AUTUMN 
LESSON 

I.    GETTING  ACQUAINTED 51 

II.    GETTING  ACQUAINTED    (Continued) 56 

III.  WHAT  LITTLE  CHILDREN  HAVE  AT  HOME  TO  CARE  FOR 59 

IV.  WHAT    LITTLE    CHILDREN    HAVE    AT    HOME    TO    CARE 

FOR  (Continued) 63 

V.    FALL  TREASURES 66 

VI.    FALL  TREASURES  (Continued) 69 

VII.    CHANGES  THAT   SURPRISE 75 

VIII.    CHANGES  THAT  SURPRISE  (Continued) 78 

IX.    THE  BULBS  ARE   PLANTED 85 

X.    THE  GIFT  OF  THE   HARVEST 88 

XI.    THE  GIFT  OF  THE  HARVEST  (Continued) 91 

XII.    HOME   ACTIVITIES 94 

XIII.  HOME  ACTIVITIES    (Continued) 97 

XIV.  WHAT  A  CHILD  CAN   Do  TO  HELP 101 

XV.    WHAT  A  CHILD  CAN   Do  TO  HELP  (Continued) 103 

XVI.    THANKSGIVING  Is  COMING 106 

XVII.     THANKSGIVING  Is  COMING    (Continued.) 108 

XVIII.    WHAT  THANKSGIVING  REALLY   MEANS in 

XIX.    WHAT  THANKSGIVING  REALLY  MEANS  (Continued) 113 

XX.    THE  THANKSGIVING   FESTIVAL 1 16 

WINTER 

XXI.    GOD'S  GREATEST   GIFT 121 

XXII.     GOD'S  GREATEST  GIFT    (Continued) 124 

XXIII.  GOD'S  GREATEST  GIFT    (Continued) 126 

XXIV.  GOD'S  GREATEST  GIFT    (Concluded) 129 

XXV.    THE  JOYS  OF   CHRISTMAS 131 

3 


CONTENTS 


LESSON  PAGE 

XXVI.    THE  JOYS  OF  CHRISTMAS    (Continued) 134 

XXVII.    THE  CHRISTMAS   FESTIVAL 138 

XXVIII.    AFTER-CHRISTMAS  PLAY 140 

XXIX.    AFTER-CHRISTMAS  PLAY  (Continued) 144 

XXX.    THE  LIGHTS  AT   NIGHT 147 

XXXI.    THE  LIGHTS  AT  NIGHT    (Continued) 151 

XXXII.    THE   CHRIST-CHILD 153 

XXXIII.  WINTER   SPORT 156 

XXXIV.  WINTER   COLD 159 

XXXV.    WINTER  COLD    (Continued) 163 

XXXVI.    WINTER  COLD    (Concluded) 165 

XXXVII.    WINTER   BIRDS 168 

XXXVIII.    WHEN  JESUS  WAS  A   BOY 172 

XXXIX.    VALENTINES  A  GIFT  OF   LOVE 174 

XL.    A  LITTLE  CHILD'S   HEROES 177 

XLI.    A  LITTLE  CHILD'S  HEROES   (Continued) 181 

XLII.    A  LITTLE  CHILD'S  HEROES    (Concluded) 184 

XLIII.    THE  HERO   FESTIVAL 188 

SPRING 

XLIV.    JESUS  GROWS  TO  BE  A  MAN 195 

XLV.    JESUS  THE   MAN 198 

XL VI.    JESUS  THE  MAN    (Continued) 200 

XLVII.    JESUS  THE  MAN    (Continued) 202 

XLVIII.    JESUS  THE  MAN  (Concluded) 205 

XLIX.    GLAD  EASTER  Is  HERE 217 

L.    THE  EASTER  FESTIVAL 220 

LI.    THE   GARDEN 224 

LII.    THE  GARDEN    (Continued) 228 

LIII.    THE  WIND,  A  PLAYFELLOW 230 

LIV.    THE  WIND,  A   PLAYFELLOW  (Continued) 233 

LV.    THE  WORLD  OF   LIVING  THINGS 236 

LVI.    THE  WORLD  OF   LIVING  THINGS  (Continued) 243 

LVII.    THE  WORLD  OF   LIVING  THINGS  (Continued) 245 

LVIII.    THE  WORLD  OF   LIVING  THINGS  (Concluded) 247 

LIX.    EVERY  LIVING  THING  NEEDS  CARE 248 

LX.    LITTLE   CHICKENS 254 

LXI.    BABY   RABBITS 256 

LXII.    LAMBS 259 

LXIII.    THE  MAY  FESTIVAL  (PREPARATION) 266 

LXIV.    THE  MAY  FESTIVAL 269 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

CHRIST  BLESSING  LITTLE  CHILDREN Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

WHEN  THE  BIRTHDAY  CANDLES  ARE  LIGHTED 41 

As  THE  CHILDREN  COME 59 

"SING,  LITTLE  CHILDREN,  SING  EVERYWHERE" 99 

"TELL  ME  A  STORY" 134 

GROUPS  OF  CHILDREN   USING  DIFFERENT  MATERIALS  TO  CARRY  OUT 

THE  SUGGESTION  OF  THE  STORY 167 

WHEN  THE  OFFERING  is  PUT  INTO  THE  BASKET 198 

THE  FLOWERS  ARE  GROWING 228 

FEEDING   THE    BUNNIES 256 


PART  I 
THE  YOUNG  CHILD  AND  HIS  RELIGION 


TO  A  LITTLE  CHILD 

Singing  with  the  birds, 

Laughing  with  the  showers, 

Shouting  with  the  winds. 
Dancing  with  the  flowers, 

Happy  little  child. 

Wlile  away  the  Lours. 

In  thy  joyous  play, 
In  every  merry  lay, 
Thou  dost  sing  the  praise 

Ol  the  Lord  ahove, 
Happy  little  child. 

Full  of  radiant  love. 

God,  thy  Father,  knows  ; 

He  who  broods  the  chick. 
He  who  paints  the  rose, 

Gives  thy  daily  crust. 
Happy  little  child, 

In  his  goodness  trust. 


CHAPTER  I 
EARLY  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

You  may  have  heard  the  story  of  the  little  girl  whose  mother 
told  her  at  the  time  of  evening  prayer  that  God  was  in  the 
room  with  them.  "O  mother,"  said  the  child,  overpowered 
by  the  thought  of  the  great  invisible  Presence,  "please  open 
the  door  and  let  him  out."  The  remark  of  this  child  suggests 
the  chief  problem  of  early  religious  education:  how  to  bring 
the  idea  of  God  to  the  child  in  such  a  way  that  the  thought  of 
him  will  not  frighten  but  comfort,  will  not  separate  but  unite, 
will  not  be  dreaded  but  welcome. 

The  problem  set  forth — H.  G.  Wells  pictures  his  early 
religious  experience  thus :  "I  who  write  was  so  set  against  God, 
thus  rendered.  He  and  his  hell  were  the  nightmares  of  my 
childhood;  I  hated  him  while  I  still  believed,  and  who  could 
help  but  hate?  I  thought  of  him  as  a  fantastic  monster  per- 
petually spying,  perpetually  listening,  perpetually  waiting  to 
condemn  and  strike  me  dead;  his  flames  as  ready  as  a  grill- 
room fire.  He  was  over  me  and  about  my  feebleness  and  silli- 
ness and  forget  fulness  as  the  sky  and  sea  would  be  about  a 
child  drowning  in  mid- Atlantic."  We  believe  that  this  experi- 
ence is  extreme,  but  on  the  other  hand  there  are  many  testi- 
monies to  early  religious  misconceptions  that  have  been  difficult 
to  eradicate  in  later  years  and  that  have  rendered  impossible 
a  sane  religious  faith. 

At  the  outset  of  an  effort  for  the  religious  education  of  the 
child  we  must  meet  the  people  who,  with  some  such  experience 
in  mind,  do  not  think  that  the  little  child  ought  to  have  any 
distinctly  religious  or  spiritual  training.  Some  of  these  ob- 

9 


io        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

jectors  say,  in  the  words  of  a  representative,  that  children  have 
"no  great  capacity  for  an  idea  so  subtle  and  mature  as  the 
idea  of  God."  I  know  of  no  better  answer  than  Dr.  George 
A.  Coe  gives  in  his  "Education  in  Religion  and  Morals."  "The 
child,"  says  Dr.  Coe,  "has  more  than  a  passive  capacity  for 
spiritual  things.  The  successive  phases  in  the  growth  of  child 
personality  may  be,  and  normally  are,  so  many  phases  of  a 
growing  consciousness  of  the  divine  meaning  of  life.  Not  for  a 
single  year  does  the  mind  remain  neutral  or  blank  with  refer- 
ence to  the  interpretation  of  life.  Impressions  are  already  lead- 
ing to  reactions  of  both  an  emotional  and  motor  sort,  and  these 
reactions  are  already  forming  into  habits.  To  such  habits  there 
is  already  an  intellectual  side  or  the  meaning  more  or  less  artic- 
ulate which  the  world  and  life  are  beginning  to  have.  Very 
early  too  the  child  witnesses  specific  religious  phenomena.  We 
cannot  hide  from  him  our  sacred  books,  our  churches,  our  wor- 
ship. The  real  question,  then,  is  never  when  shall  his  religious 
training  begin?  for  it  really  begins  with  the  beginning  of  ex- 
perience, and  it  goes  forward  with  experience." 

Our  problem,  then,  resolves  itself  into  how  we  shall  inter- 
pret to  the  child  these  early  experiences;  or,  better  still,  how 
we  many  guide  him  into  such  an  interpretation  as  shall  eventu- 
ate in  a  satisfying  God-consciousness;  how  we  may  help  him 
to  grow  in  the  knowledge  of  God  so  that  desirable  religious 
attitudes  and  habits  will  result.  However,  the  scope  of  early 
religious  education  is  broader  than  the  establishing  of  a  right 
relationship  to  God,  for  if,  as  we  believe,  religion  is  a  mode 
of  living,  religious  education  must  touch  all  the  experiences 
of  the  child,  must  seek  to  interpret  his  relationship  to  his  en- 
tire environment  and  to  build  right  attitudes  and  influence 
right  conduct  according  to  the  capacity  of  a  little  child.  Re- 
ligious education  is,  then,  distinctly  both  moral  and  social. 

The  suggested  solution. —  The   failure  in  the  early  reli- 


EARLY  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  n 

gious  education  of  Mr.  Wells  so  forcefully  stated  in  the  pas- 
sage which  we  quoted  was  a  failure  due  to  a  lack  of  under- 
standing of  child  nature.  Little  children  are  timid  and  de- 
pendent ;  they  easily  yield  to  fear ;  they  are  intensely  emotional. 
They  accept  on  faith  what  is  told  them,  having  little  reason- 
ing power.  They  live  in  a  world  of  fancy,  so  that  with  very 
little  suggestion  from  the  adult,  ogres  and  demons  and 
dragons  grow  as  if  by  magic.  The  power  of  God  as  the  maker 
and  ruler  of  the  universe  was  evidently  overemphasized  in  the 
case  of  Wells,  while  the  idea  of  God  as  a  loving  Father,  pro- 
tecting and  caring  for  all  little  children,  was  withheld  or 
placed  in  the  background;  hence  the  disaster  in  making  the 
connection  between  the  child  and  his  God. 

It  is  imperative,  then,  for  success  in  early  religious  training 
that  the  teacher  understand  the  characteristics  and  needs  of 
the  child  whom  she  is  to  teach  and  that  the  curriculum  and 
methods  of  teaching  be  based  upon  this  knowledge.  Unless 
we  know  how  to  gain  admission  we  shall  knock  in  vain  at  the 
citadel  of  the  child's  mind;  we  shall  not  only  fail  to  make  any 
impression  but  to  get  any  spontaneous  expression  from  him. 
He  will  look  blankly  back  of  us ;  he  will  wiggle  and  twist  and 
squirm;  he  may  try  in  every  way  to  distract  us  from  the  sub- 
ject in  hand  by  irrelevant  remarks,  or  he  may  make  a  dash 
at  any  moment  for  freedom  and  a  more  interesting  occupation. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  may  be  deceived  with  apparent  suc- 
cess, for  children  are  imitative  little  creatures,  and  it  is  quite 
possible  to  have  them  go  through  the  forms  of  a  religious  serv- 
ice without  the  slightest  idea  of  its  meaning.  True  success 
comes  only  as  the  teacher  understands  the  possibilities  for  re- 
ligious education  at  this  age  and  utilizes  the  dominant  instincts 
and  tendencies,  the  compelling  interests;  as  she  considers  the 
physical  basis,  the  mental  grasp,  the  emotional  response;  in 
other  words,  she  must  work  with  the  nature  of  the  child,  not 
contrary  to  it. 


12        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

The  physical  basis — from  four  to  six. — Therefore  we 
would  throw  upon  the  screen,  before  we  go  farther,  a  picture 
of  this  little  child  from  four  to  six  years  of  age.  He  is  grow- 
ing rapidly.  His  body  is  very  active.  The  fundamental  mus- 
cles are  developing  in  speed  and  accuracy  of  coordination. 
His  senses  are  alert,  sometimes  termed  "hungry."  The  body 
is  plastic  and  habit- formation  thrives.  He  is  sensitive  to 
changes  of  heat  and  cold  and  very  susceptible  to  contagions. 
His  endurance  is  slight  and  his  fatigability  is  high.  He  has 
little  power  of  inhibition,  and  therefore  "sitting  still"  soon 
makes  him  and  everybody  in  his  vicinity  nervous. 

Dominant  instincts. — The  great  tendency  to  play  captures 
the  life  to  such  an  extent  at  this  period  that  it  may  probably 
be  called  "play  life."  Activity,  like  play,  is  very  inclusive;  the 
child  tends  immediately  to  respond  to  every  stimulus  by  some 
form  of  activity.  He  is  rhythmical;  he  notes  repetition  and 
responds  to  rhythm  with  the  whole  body,  arms,  legs,  hands,  or 
feet.  He  is  curious,  eager  to  see,  hear,  touch,  taste,  smell.  He 
may  be  destructive  in  his  testing  of  things.  He  begins  to  ask 
many  questions. 

This  is  the  period  when  dramatic  imitation  flourishes.  Now 
this  child  is  a  horse,  then  a  fire  engine,  again  a  soldier  and 
by-and-by  an  aeroplane.  There  is  not  much  plot  to  his  play 
and  there  are  few  characters,  but  for  the  time  being  the  make- 
believe  has  become  the  real.  This  little  child  lives  to  the  beat  of 
horse's  hoofs,  the  clang  of  the  fire  engine,  the  tum-ti-tum  of  the 
soldier's  drum,  the  whiz  of  the  plane.  He  likes  to  manipulate 
all  kinds  of  materials  and  he  delights  to  make  things  with  his 
hands — albeit  these  things  are  very  crude.  It  takes  his  im- 
agination to  see  a  cat  in  the  wobbly  lines  or  a  man  in  the  clay 
lump.  He  is  easily  frightened  and  prone  to  racial  fears  such 
as  those  of  darkness,  strangers,  high  places,  animals.  His 
lack  of  experience  and  of  control  over  his  environment  aug- 


EARLY  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  13 

ments  these  fears.  He  is  individualistic;  that  is,  he  wants 
what  he  wants,  when  he  wants,  as  he  wants.  He  looks  out  for 
himself  always  but  unconsciously,  and  "the  big  emotional  thrill 
is  in  getting." 

However,  the  child  is  now  beginning  to  show  decided  inter- 
est in  other  children  and  in  cooperating  to  a  certain  extent 
or  playing  with  others.  Heretofore  he  has  acted  alongside 
of  but  not  with  others.  The  group  is  very  small  though.  He 
is  eager  for  the  approval  of  parents  and  teachers  and  begins  to 
reveal  sensitiveness  to  the  opinion  of  other  children.  The 
nurturing  instinct  is  strong;  he  shows  protection  toward  or 
care  for  dolls,  plants,  animals,  babies;  but  not  the  degree  of 
responsibility  of  the  next  period.  He  is  very  communicative. 
His  vocabulary  is  limited  but  growing;  he  talks  much  and  is 
very  frank  and  outspoken. 

"I  like  your  new  trousers,"  says  the  Sunday  school  teacher. 
"My  mother  made  them  on  Sunday,"  is  the  instant  rejoinder. 

This  child  shows  affection  to  parents,  relatives,  teachers  in 
return  for  benefits  received  and  usually  by  physical  demonstra- 
tion. He  is  filled  with  wonder  as  he  stands  on  tiptoe  before 
the  mysteries  of  the  world.  He  easily  and  spontaneously  wor- 
ships, making  no  distinction  between  the  secular  and  the  re- 
ligious. All  life  is  holy  to  him. 

Mental  characteristics. — Sense  perception  is  very  evident; 
the  child  is  busily  engaged  in  absorbing  the  physical  world 
about  him.  Accuracy  of  observation  is  lacking.  Attention  is 
of  comparatively  short  duration;  interest  as  a  rule  is  fleeting 
rather  than  sustained.  Memory  is  operative  on  spatial  and 
temporal  lines.  "I  went  to  visit  my  grandpa.  My  grandpa 
has  a  cow  and  a  pig  and  a  chicken.  I  ate  pumpkin  pie.  My 
grandpa  gave  me  an  apple."  This  is  a  typical  memory  con- 
tribution at  this  age. 

The  reasoning  power  is  awakening ;  the  child  is  beginning  to 


14        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

generalize  and  makes  very  surprising  applications.  His  ques- 
tions show  the  dawn  of  rational  inquiry. 

"How  do  little  children  get  to  God  when  they  die?"  asked 
Jean,  aged  four  and  a  half. 

"God  just  takes  their  little  hearts,"  answered  the  perplexed 
mother. 

"If  God  took  only  Bobbie's  heart,  then  how  will  Bobbie 
know  his  mother  when  she  gets  there?"  demanded  Jean. 

This  child  is  very  suggestible;  one  idea  starts  a  whole  se- 
quence. He  is  very  credulous  too ;  his  lack  of  experience  makes 
him  an  easy  mark  for  the  adult  or  older  child  who  wants  to 
tease  or  is  too  lazy  to  think  out  an  honest  answer  that  will 
satisfy.  He  is  continually  putting  together,  in  new  ways,  his 
images  gained  through  sensory  and  motor  experience,  and 
there  are  apt  to  be  confusion,  inaccuracy,  and  lack  of  atten- 
tion to  detail.  Truth  is  not  a  virtue  of  the  child  of  this  age. 
His  emotions  are  both  intense  and  transitory.  Laughter  and 
tears  are  near  the  surface  and  it  is  only  a  moment's  journey 
from  one  to  the  other.  Joy  and  sorrow  are  immediately  and 
violently  shown  by  outward  behavior.  He  acts  impulsively  in 
responding  at  once  to  any  stimulus,  having,  as  already  stated, 
little  power  of  inhibition. 

Spontaneous  interests. — This  child  is  interested  in  such 
objects  and  materials  as  invite  investigation  on  a  sensory 
plane;  in  vivid  colors,  in  noises,  in  moving  things,  in  pleasant 
odors,  in  things  to  eat,  in  soft  and  silky  textures,  in  fire  and 
water,  in  simple  toys,  in  blocks  and  clay  and  sand.  He  is  inter- 
ested in  pictures,  especially  those  with  bright  color,  few  ob- 
jects, and  familiar  activity.  He  is  interested  in  living  things ; 
in  plants,  in  birds  and  fish,  in  all  animals,  particularly  pets  such 
as  the  cat,  the  dog,  and  the  rabbit.  He  is  interested  in  babies, 
in  other  children,  in  the  members  of  the  family,  in  the  work- 
ers who  touch  the  home,  as  the  milkman,  postman,  and  car- 


EARLY  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION  15 

penter;  in  such  community  protectors  as  he  sees — the  police- 
man, the  fireman,  and  the  soldier.  He  is  also  interested  in 
activities,  many  of  which  have  already  been  mentioned — in- 
vestigating and  observing,  manipulating  and  making  things, 
talking  and  singing,  listening  to  and  telling  stories,  bodily 
movements  which  may  or  may  not  be  rhythmic,  representative 
and  dramatic  play,  and  a  few  very  simple  social  games. 


CHAPTER  II 
CHILD  NATURE  AND  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

WITH  a  picture  of  the  characteristics  and  implied  needs  of 
the  child  from  four  to  six  before  us,  it  is  apparent  that  re- 
ligious education  cannot  be  predominantly  intellectual;  but, 
as  Kirkpatrick  says,  "it  must  be  of  the  heart  more  than  of  the 
head,  and  perhaps  even  more  of  the  hand,  a  training  in  do- 
ing" What,  then,  are  the  possibilities  for  and  the  demands 
upon  religious  education  at  this  age? 

Conditions  favoring  health  and  growth. — In  view  of  the 
physical  basis  it  is  evident  that  for  the  sake  of  the  child's  pres- 
ent and  future  good  it  is  very  essential  that  we  provide  a  room 
or  rooms  with  adequate  lighting,  plenty  of  sunshine,  an  abun- 
dance of  fresh  air,  and  an  even  temperature  between  sixty-five 
and  sixty-eight  degrees.  Because  of  the  susceptibility  to  con- 
tagions and  the  serious  consequences  in  these  years,  a  most 
careful  quarantine  should  be  maintained  and  all  children  with 
coughs  and  colds  kept  apart  from  the  other  children.  Because 
of  the  plasticity  of  the  bony  structure  of  the  body  it  is  par- 
ticularly important  that  chairs  which  fit  should  be  provided, 
and  that  the  child  should  be  taught  to  sit  well  back  in  the  chair 
with  feet  flat  upon  the  floor. 

As  the  inhibitory  centers  mature  slowly  the  child  should  be 
allowed  much  motor  activity  and  should  not  be  required  to  "sit 
still"  except  for  very  short  periods,  varying  from  five  to  ten 
minutes.  A  variety  in  the  activities,  together  with  the  short 
periods  suggested,  will  prevent  physical  and  mental  fatigue. 

Need  of  rich  sensory-motor  experience. — The    child    is 
16 


CHILD  NATURE  AND  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION     17 

hungry  for  sensory  experience  and  for  physical  activity.  If 
in  teaching  religion  we  can  furnish  an  environment  rich  in 
things  to  investigate  with  the  senses — as  flowers,  birds,  pets, 
pictures — and  if  we  will  allow  the  freedom  for  this  testing, 
we  shall  not  only  satisfy  a  need  of  the  child  but  we  are  pro- 
viding for  a  wealth  of  clear,  accurate  imagery.  Such  imagery 
lays  the  basis  for  a  comprehension  of  religious  literature  and 
for  all  spiritual  experience  which  must  employ  imagination. 

The  span  of  attention,  we  have  said,  is  short;  memory  is 
desultory,  recall  being  along  sensory-motor  lines;  suggesti- 
bility is  great ;  the  mind  holds  few  things  at  once ;  the  imagina- 
tion is  limited  and  crude.  Therefore  the  material  provided 
for  song,  story,  and  dramatic  play  should  be  concrete,  full  of 
action,  vivid  with  sensory  quality,  with  short  plot,  few  char- 
acters, and  largely  familiar  facts.  Such  material  will  be  ap- 
preciated, comprehended,  and  used  by  the  child. 

Use  of  handwork. — There  is  a  growing  interest  in  manip- 
ulating, drawing,  and  constructing.  This  interest  may  be 
satisfied  by  the  provision  of  suitable  materials  and  utilized  in 
illustrating  story  and  song  and  thus  in  expressing  thought  and 
feeling.  Results  are  crude  but  meaningful  to  the  child.  He  has 
all  the  joy  of  a  Raphael  as  he  reads  in  his  daubs  of  glorious 
red  and  yellow,  tulips  and  daffodils  and  dandelions. 

The  process  of  learning  is  not  complete  until  the  cycle  of  im- 
pression-expression-impression has  been  made.  The  child 
understands  the  story  of  the  Good  Shepherd  much  better  after 
he  has  worked  out  that  story  in  the  sand  or  built  a  sheep  fold 
with  the  blocks  and  taken  in  and  out  his  imaginary  flock. 

Value  of  communication. — The  child  is  naturally  communi- 
cative; he  wants  to  talk  constantly.  He  likes  to  tell  his  ex- 
periences to  a  sympathetic  friend.  As  his  social  world  en- 
larges to  take  in  other  children  he  enjoys  conversing  with 
them.  Conversation,  therefore,  is  a  spontaneous  interest.  The 


i8        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

teacher  may  utilize  it  as  a  medium  through  which  she  may 
gain  an  insight  into  the  child's  mind,  may  know  what  his 
thoughts  and  feelings  are,  always  remembering  that  these 
may  be  interpreted  by  the  revelations  of  the  body  as  well. 

Not  only  does  the  child  convey  ideas  to  the  teacher  and 
the  teacher  to  the  child  through  conversation,  but  the  children 
influence  and  inform  one  another.  Prayer  or  communion  with 
God  should  be  a  talking  to  God  and,  therefore,  is  based  upon 
this  instinct  to  communicate. 

Importance  of  habit  formation. — The  nervous  system  is 
very  plastic  in  these  years  and  the  forming  of  habits  goes  on 
apace.  Not  only  physical  and  mental,  but  social  and  religious 
habits  are  being  acquired.  Behavior  is  becoming  very  promi- 
nent in  this  child's  world ;  he  criticizes  William,  who  fails  to 
put  the  blocks  away  properly,  and  he  finds  fault  with  the  way 
Mary  holds  the  doll. 

Good  examples  are  very  important  in  stimulating  the  for- 
mation of  the  right  habits,  and  approval  and  disapproval  from 
the  teacher  is  recognized.  "I  like  the  way  John  is  standing," 
from  the  teacher  is  sufficient  to  secure  an  immediate  straighten- 
ing of  twenty  small  figures  and  the  simultaneous  demand,  "See 
how  I  am  standing!"  Habits  of  neatness,  cleanliness,  con- 
sideration for  others,  prompt  and  cheerful  obedience,  should 
be  formed. 

Stimulating  moods  of  morality. — Not  only  does  the  child 
notice  behavior  but  he  is  quick  to  catch  the  spirit  of  behavior. 
The  teacher  may  provide  pattern  experiences  from  the  life 
about  him  and  she  may  give  him  stories  with  right  moral  is- 
sue, encouraging  dramatic  imitation  based  on  these  sources. 
The  experience  of  feeding  winter  birds  was  spontaneously 
dramatized  by  a  group  of  children.  Some  were  birds  and  some 
were  children  feeding  them;  the  little  birds  came  and  ate  the 
crumbs  that  the  children  threw  to  them.  By  this  play  all  the 


CHILD  NATURE  AND  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION     19 

children  felt  gentleness,  kindness,  and  a  sense  of  protection 
for  smaller  and  weaker  things.  The  child  thus  gets  the  spirit 
of  good  behavior  and  will  experience  the  moods  of  morality. 
The  foundation  is  laid  in  feeling  for  a  moral  life. 

Basis  for  a  rational  faith. —  This  child  is  credulous,  but  he 
reveals  in  his  questions  the  dawn  of  rational  inquiry.  He  is 
satisfied  to  accept  the  word  of  an  adult  in  answer  to  his  ques- 
tions, and  he  seeks  help  in  solving  his  little  problems.  It  is 
true,  too,  that  his  imaginings  are  apt  to  be  confused,  inaccurate, 
and  to  lack  attention  to  detail.  For  all  of  these  reasons  he 
needs  a  teacher  who  will  be  absolutely  sincere  and  truthful  and 
who  by  her  replies  to  his  questions  will  lay  the  basis  for  a 
rational  faith  later. 

The  child's  relationship  to  God,  to  Jesus,  to  people,  as  well 
as  the  causes  for  many  of  the  natural  phenomena,  are  easily 
accepted  at  this  time ;  and  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  dislodge 
the  superstitions  and  false  interpretations  sometimes  inculcated. 

Development  of  the  simplest  moral  standards. — Along 
with  the  interest  in  behavior  there  is  an  appreciation  of.  the 
simplest  moral  standards  and  a  growing  social  cooperation. 
The  beginnings  of  cooperation  in  the  group  of  children  as  well 
as  in  the  home  should  be  controlled  by  such  rules  or  standards 
as  the  child  can  appreciate.  A  new  child  in  a  kindergarten  re- 
fused to  do  what  the  teacher  asked;  so  well  developed  was 
this  sense  of  right  in  the  children  that  they  took  matters  in 
their  own  hands  immediately.  "You  can't  stay  here,"  they  said, 
"unless  you  want  to  do  what  Miss  Smith  asks."  Approval 
and  disapproval  can  be  used  in  setting  the  standard,  and  imi- 
tation also  is  very  effective  in  bringing  all  the  children  to 
it.  A  group  of  children  of  the  same  age  is  essential  to  the 
normal  development  of  every  child. 

This  child  is  absorbed  in  individualistic  interests,  he  is  im- 
pulsive in  action;  but  his  social  consciousness  is  growing  to 


20        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

include  not  only  the  members  of  his  family  but  his  circle  of 
playmates  and  certain  outstanding  helpers  of  the  home.  The 
teacher,  while  recognizing  the  absorbing  character  of  the  in- 
dividual interests  and  the  impulsive  nature  of  the  child's  ac- 
tivity, must  lead  him  to  consider  other  members  of  the  group. 
She  can  develop  self-direction  by  securing  prompt,  cheerful 
obedience  to  rules  necessary  for  all,  giving  the  individual  child 
a  choice  with  the  consequent  feeling  of  pleasure  or  dissatis- 
faction. James,  aged  four,  began  to  scream  because  he  could 
not  knock  down  the  church  that  the  children  were  building.  He 
was  taken  into  an  adjoining  room  where  he  was  alone. 
"James,"  said  the  teacher,  "we  want  you  with  us  but  we  can 
have  only  children  who  play  happily  in  our  room.  If  you  are 
ready,  you  may  come  back;  if  not,  you  may  stay  here.  Which 
will  you  do?"  Three  times  the  teacher  had  to  return  to  ask 
that  question.  The  third  time  James,  with  a  winning  smile, 
put  his  hand  in  hers  and  came  back  to  the  children. 

Control  of  the  emotions. — The  emotions  of  the  child  of 
this  age  are  dominant,  transitory,  intense.  He  suffers  keenly 
from  fear,  jealousy,  or  rage,  and  should  be  shielded  from  in- 
tensity of  unpleasant  emotion.  A  child  who  had  had  no  other 
children  in  the  family  was  suddenly  confronted  by  a  house- 
ful of  them  when  her  mother  opened  a  day  nursery.  They 
used  all  her  playthings,  took  every  nook  and  corner  of  her 
nursery,  and  absorbed  the  most  of  her  mother's  time.  The 
child  suffered  such  jealousy  that  her  disposition  became 
morose  and  sullen  and  her  health  uncertain.  She  had  con- 
tinual colds  and  indigestion  until  a  wise  physician  surmised  the 
cause  and  called  the  mother's  attention  to  it. 

Through  happy  play  experiences,  stories,  and  music  the 
right  feeling  attitudes  should  be  developed  and  provision  made 
for  wholesome  emotional  expression.  The  children  in  a  kinder- 
garten asked  to  make  valentines.  They  were  allowed  to  send 


CHILD  NATURE  AND  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION     21 

for  the  proper  materials.  When  the  package  was  opened 
there  was  great  joy.  "Let's  dance,"  said  Anton,  "because  we 
are  so  happy."  And  dance  they  did  with  the  materials  in  the 
center  of  the  ring — up  and  down  and  all  around,  clapping 
their  hands  and  laughing  in  glee.  The  teacher  of  religion  needs 
most  of  all  to  work  for  the  right  emotional  background,  for 
it  is  absolutely  essential  to  desirable  religious  experience. 

Utilizing  love  of  rhythm  and  repetition. — Susceptibility 
to  rhythm  and  repetition  is  characteristic  of  this  child  and 
he  possesses  the  ability  to  express  rhythmically.  The  teacher 
may  bring  stories,  songs,  and  verses  with  repetition  and 
rhythm,  and  may  introduce  movement  to  the  rhythm  of 
music.  The  indirect  effect  is  to  harmonize  the  emotional  na- 
ture of  the  child;  the  outer  control  of  movement  has  an  in- 
fluence on  inner  control.  The  rhythmic  appreciation  is  the  be- 
ginning of  musical  appreciation  and  expression,  which  is  a 
vital  part  of  religious  experience. 

Awakening  of  a  love  for  God. — The  child  is  naturally  de- 
pendent and  trusting ;  he  is  also  timid.  He  reaches  out  for  love, 
protection,  and  sympathy.  He  is  able  to  appreciate  the  love 
of  father  and  mother  and  the  others  who  minister  to  his  com- 
fort, and  he  responds  to  their  care  and  kindness  with  a  warmth 
of  affection  that  is  evidenced  by  active  demonstrations  when 
they  appear. 

By  the  same  process  of  feeling,  if  God  is  presented  to  him 
as  the  unseen  but  loving  Father  who  made  the  sunshine,  the 
dandelions,  and  his  pet  rabbit,  who  "keeps  care  of  him  when 
father  and  mother  are  not  by,"  as  one  little  child  expressed 
it,  he  will  gradually  through  the  imagination  build  up  a  con- 
ception of  the  great  Father  God,  and  will  offer  a  wealth  of  love 
in  return  for  benefits  received.  "Oughtn't  we  to  thank  God?" 
said  a  little  girl  in  a  kindergarten.  "  'Cause  we  have  such 
things  to  play  with — blocks  and  our  doll  Bluebell,  and  the  pic- 


22        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

ture  books,  more  than  lots  of  little  children  have."  If  Jesus  is 
spoken  of  as  the  friend  of  children  and  his  kindness  to  every 
one  in  need  is  dwelt  upon,  the  child's  love  will  go  out  to  him 
also. 

The  beginning  of  service. — There  is  a  tendency  in  these 
years  on  the  child's  part  to  care  for  weaker  things,  to  be  kind 
and  sympathetic  when  a  need  is  understood  and  to  do  for 
all  those  to  whom  his  affection  goes  out  spontaneously.  "The 
life  of  childhood,"  says  Miss  Patty  Hill,  "may  become  gradu- 
ally and  almost  unconsciously  transformed  by  Christian  ideals 
at  work  in  such  small  matters  as  watering  a  thirsty  plant  or 
protecting  a  dumb  animal."  The  child  likes  to  make  little  gifts 
for  father  and  mother,  he  is  very  happy  to  wheel  the  baby, 
and  he  will  share  his  toys  with  a  friend  and  his  food  with  a 
hungry  child.  All  of  this  is  the  beginning  of  service. 

Preservation  of  wonder. — Some  one  has  said  that,  "The 
Eternal*  Child,  as  he  moves  through  this  universe,  shouts  at 
everything  he  sees  in  the  presence  of  the  mystery  of  life.  So- 
called  common  things  are  not  common  for  him;  all  is  pene- 
trated with  mystery.  As,  with  wondering  eyes,  he  turns  the 
pages  of  nature's  illuminated  textbook  of  field  and  forest,  sea 
and  sky,  God  stands  ever  more  fully  revealed,  for  the  Beyond 
draws  nearer  to  us  when  we  wonder." 

A  group  of  kindergarten  children  sat  one  windy  morning 
under  a  tall  pine.  Everything  was  moving,  and  the  branches 
of  the  pine  were  especially  active. 

"What  makes  the  wind  ?"  said  one  child. 

"The  branches  of  the  trees,"  replied  another. 

"No,"  commented  a  third,  with  perfect  assurance,  "God." 

The  teacher  should  respect  the  child's  wonder  and  not  brush 
it  rudely  aside.  Nature  study  should  be  appreciative  rather 
than  analytical. 


CHILD  NATURE  AND  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION     23 

The  approach  to  worship. — The  child  instinctively  shows 
reverence  in  the  presence  of  people  praying.  He  should  not, 
however,  he  expected  to  pray  himself  until  his  knowledge  of 
and  love  for  God  prompt  the  expression.  Prayer  is  com- 
munion, and  when  the  child  prays,  Elizabeth  Mumford  tells 
us,  that  which  matters  most  is  his  attitude  toward  God  and 
not  the  form  of  his  petition. 

One  morning  at  Sunday  school  the  children  had  told  a  num- 
ber of  happy  experiences,  when  one  little  girl  said,  "Couldn't 
we  thank  God?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  teacher.  "What  shall  we  say  to  him?" 

"Thank  him  for  my  baby,"  "For  our  new  automobile," 
"For  my  pink  stockings,"  "For  the  flowers,"  and  "For  the 
cookies,"  came  spontaneously  from  the  group. 

The  teacher  very  reverently  bowed  her  head  and  tried  to  in- 
clude every  item  in  the  thanksgiving.  When  she  had  finished 
the  little  boy  by  her  side  whispered,  "But  you  forgot  the 
cookies,"  and  was  not  satisfied  until  the  words  were  added, 
"Thank  you,  God,  for  the  cookies  too." 

The  prayer  or  thanksgiving  may  be  sung  as  well  as  spoken. 
Another  morning  the  children  were  using  the  hymn : 

"For  the  lovely  morning,  all  the  earth  adorning, 
Praise  and  thanks  be  given  to  our  God  in  heaven." 

The  song  had  come  at  the  climax  of  a  very  happy  hour  out 
in  the  sunshine. 

"I  love  it,"  said  a  little  girl.  "Let's  sing  it  again,"  and  over 
and  over  they  sang  it  reverently. 

The  influence  of  environment. — And  now  we  come  to 
the  last  and  possibly  the  most  vital  factor  in  the  child's  re- 
ligious and  moral  education — the  environment,  perhaps  bet- 
ter termed  the  atmosphere,  which,  because  of  the  child's  sug- 
gestibility and  tendency  to  imitate  or  reflect,  has  greatest  in- 


24        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

fluence.    You  are  familiar  with  the  lines  of  Walt  Whitman's 
poem: 

"There  was  a  child  went  forth  every  day, 
And  the  first  object  he  looked  upon,  and  received 
With  wonder,  pity,  love  or  dread, 
That  object  he  became. 

And  that  object  became  part  of  him  for  the  day, 
For  a  certain  part  of  the  day,  or  for  many  years, 
Or  stretching  cycles  of  years." 

Every  object  that  is  placed  in  the  rooms  for  the  children 
should  be  carefully  selected,  and  flowers,  hangings,  colors, 
furniture,  pictures  should  be  chosen  to  make  a  harmonious 
and  restful  whole.  Everything  has  its  influence  in  producing 
or  interfering  with  the  atmosphere  of  order,  beauty,  and 
reverence.  Not  only  do  these  material  things  influence  the 
child,  but  most  of  all  the  people  with  whom  he  comes  in  con- 
tact. To  quote  from  Norsworthy  and  Strayer,  "Good  temper, 
stability,  care  for  others,  self-control  and  many  other  habits; 
respect  for  truth,  for  the  opinion  of  others  and  many  other 
ideals,  are  unconsciously  absorbed  by  the  child  in  his  early 
years.  Example,  not  precept,  actions,  not  words,  are  the  con- 
trolling factors  in  moral  education."  If  the  attitude  of  the 
teacher  or  parent  expresses  the  consciousness  of  a  higher 
Presence,  the  children  will  instinctively  acquire  the  feeling  of 
reverence;  if  the  daily  living  of  the  teacher  is  sincere,  joyous, 
just  and  helpful,  so  will  theirs  tend  to  be. 


CHAPTER  III 
ACTIVITIES  AND  MATERIALS 

THE  activities  through  which  the  child  secures  religious 
education  are  based  upon  his  instinctive  equipment  and  spon- 
taneous interests.  These  activities  are  story-telling,  singing, 
conversation,  prayer,  rhythmic  expression,  dramatization,  and 
handwork. 

Let  us  briefly  consider  the  purpose  or  value  of  each  as  used 
in  religious  education,  the  standard  in  selecting  the  material 
for  these  activities,  and  the  presentation  of  this  material  to  the 
child. 

Story-telling.  —  Primarily  the  story  must  give  the  child 
pleasure,  for  all  other  values  are  dependent  on  this  first  es- 
sential. If  the  child  does  not  enjoy  the  story,  he  is  not  inter- 
ested and  he  does  not  attend.  The  great  purpose  of  the  story 
in  religious  education  is  to  convey  truth,  to  give  ideals,  stand- 
ards, to  awaken  the  emotions  of  love,  reverence,  sympathy, 
and  to  suggest  avenues  of  expression,  to  fill  the  child  with  a 
God-consciousness. 

What  stories  shall  we  select  to  realize  our  aim?  For  the 
child  of  four  and  five  a  few  stories  may  be  used  from  the 
Bible,  some  from  folk  lore  and  others  from  modern  contri- 
butions. This  child  enjoys  the  familiar  experience.  The  story 
for  him  must  be  short,  full  of  action,  with  few  characters, 
simple  language,  and  positive  outcome. 

The  story  for  the  little  child  should  be  told,  inasmuch  as 
he  is  more  likely  to  lose  interest  in  a  story  read  from  a  book. 
He  needs  to  feel  the  close  personal  touch  with  the  teller.  The 
story-teller  must  know  her  story  well  and  she  must  have  a 

25 


26        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

clear  understanding  of  its  meaning.  She  must  be  able  to  re- 
live it  through  the  imagination  so  that  its  characters,  activities, 
and  situations  are  real.  The  English  should  be  beautiful,  ap- 
propriate, and  of  childlike  simplicity.  The  day  after  a  story 
had  been  told  to  a  group  of  children,  one  of  them  essayed  to 
retell  it  to  the  group.  When  she  had  finished,  John  spoke  up, 
"You  told  it  all  right,  but  Miss  Margaret  told  it  prettier!'' 
There  should  be  dramatic  representation  through  the  voice, 
expression  of  face,  and  occasional  gesture,  yet  with  quiet  self- 
control.  If  the  story  touch  the  sacred,  there  should  always  be 
the  reverent  atmosphere.  For  the  little  child  the  movement 
from  introduction,  through  plot  to  climax  needs  to  be  swift 
with  enough  detail  to  clarify  the  action.  There  should  be  no 
attempt  to  point  a  moral  at  the  close,  but  a  confidence  in  the 
story  to  convey  its  own  lesson. 

Song.  —  Music,  and  especially  the  song,  makes  a  strong 
rhythmic  appeal  to  the  child  and  as  strong  a  social  appeal. 
Little  children  love  to  sing  with  others.  But  as  the  child  needs 
the  rhythmic  and  social  values  in  music  he  needs  equally  the 
emotional  stimulus  and  expression  furnished  by  music.  Emilie 
Poulsson  says :  "Bird  and  beast,  garden  flower  and  shell  from 
the  sea,  are  all  wonders  that  thrill  the  little  child  who  is  just 
discovering  them  as  if  they  were  newly  created  for  him.  The 
song  fixes  these  things  in  his  thought  and  expresses  the  feel- 
ings for  which  he,  unaided,  would  have  no  fitting  expression." 
So  responsive  is  the  child  to  music  that  it  becomes  a  mighty 
power  in  the  hands  of  the  teacher.  Under  its  spell  chil- 
dren are  transformed  from  galloping  horses  to  flying  birds, 
changed  not  only  in  activity  but  in  spirit  too;  from  gentle 
mothers  rocking  their  babies  to  martial  soldiers  following  the 
flag;  from  hilarious  laughter  to  quiet  devotion.  There  is  no 
other  element  so  potent  in  creating  the  atmosphere  of  devo- 
tion without  which  there  is  no  worship.  It  induces  the  rever- 


ACTIVITIES  AND  MATERIALS  27 

ent  gentle  mood,  and  brings  unconsciously  the  spirit  of  prayer. 
It  calls  forth  the  emotions  of  love  and  sympathy  and  gives 
them  expression. 

Simplicity  should  be  one  of  the  first  considerations  in  select- 
ing music,  but  variety  and  beauty  of  form  are  also  necessary. 
The  lines  should  be  short,  the  stanzas  should  have  few  lines. 
The  pitch  of  a  little  child's  voice  which  is  high  should  be  ob- 
served and  the  piano  accompaniment  should  include  the  full 
melody.  The  thought  should  be  childlike,  expressed  clearly 
with  familiar  words  and  direct  appeal.  The  verse  should  be 
good  poetry  in  its  simple  rhythm  and  charming  embodiment 
of  the  child's  moods  and  interests.  The  final  test  of  a  song, 
however,  is  in  the  welding  together  of  the  music  and  the  words. 
Not  only  must  the  rhythm  of  the  one  fit  the  rhythm  of  the 
other,  but  they  must  both  interpret  the  thought  and  feeling 
unerringly.  Here  the  folk  song  sets  the  standard  for  the 
modern  child's  song  in  its  naive  simplicity  and  beauty.  Many 
types  of  songs  may  be  used  for  purposes  of  religious  education, 
as  greeting  songs,  nature  songs,  patriotic  songs,  songs  of  in- 
dustry, lullabies,  festival  songs,  and  songs  of  prayer  and  praise. 
All  the  songs  should  have  a  happy  or  at  least  a  contented  note, 
as  sad  music  moves  many  little  children  to  tears. 

The  desire  to  sing  may  be  aroused  in  a  little  child  by  listen- 
ing to  music.  It  is  important  that  the  pianist  have  a  sympa- 
thetic touch  and  that  she  play  softly  and  be  able  to  follow  the 
children.  The  song  should  grow  out  of  the  experience  of  the 
child.  It  is  introduced  sometimes  through  an  observation,  a 
story,  a  picture,  or  a  conversation.  The  new  song  or  hymn 
may  follow  the  story,  being  sung  at  the  close  by  the  teacher 
without  any  explanation.  If  the  thought  is  already  in  the 
mind  of  the  child,  he  will  have  little  difficulty  in  understand- 
ing provided  the  singer  is  careful  to  enunciate  plainly.  If  the 
song  appeals,  the  children  will  want  to  sing  it  over  and  over 
until  by  repetition  it  is  their  own.  The  teacher  should  take 


28        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

occasion  to  repeat  the  words  and  talk  a  little  about  them  if  she 
thinks  there  is  any  chance  for  misunderstanding  on  the  child's 
part.  We  have  perhaps  heard  of  the  child  who  interpreted 
"Jesus,  Saviour,  pilot  me!"  as  "Jesus,  save  your  pie  for  me." 
To  keep  up  interest  in  the  song  until  it  is  the  possession  of 
each  child  a  picture  illustrating  the  song  may  be  shown,  the 
song  may  be  dramatized,  or  nature  material  brought  in.  After 
children  have  learned  songs  it  gives  them  great  pleasure  to 
sing  them  alone  or  in  small  groups.  Such  requisites  for  good 
singing  as  a  soft  voice,  a  smiling  face,  a  high  tone,  throat  ex- 
pansion and  a  long,  slow  breath,  the  child  catches  by  con- 
tagion sympathetically  from  the  teacher.  "Be  it,  live  it,  and 
the  work  is  done." 

Conversation. —  By  means  of  conversation  the  child  not 
only  asks  questions  and  receives  answers,  thus  gaining  infor- 
mation and  enlarging  experience,  but  he  communicates  his 
ideas  to  others.  Conversation  offers  the  teacher  the  greatest 
opportunity  to  get  close  to  the  children,  to  discover  what  they 
really  think  and  feel,  and  through  the  exchange  of  experience 
to  influence  them.  Conversation  serves  too  as  a  way  of  uniting 
the  group  in  a  common  understanding  and  purpose. 

The  topics  of  conversation  are  as  varied  as  a  little  child's 
experience,  now  of  the  activities  which  are  being  carried  on 
together,  again  of  the  familiar  home  happenings  and  the  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  then  it  may  be  of  some  novel  or  exciting 
occurrence  or  perhaps  of  the  wonders  of  nature  and  the  good- 
ness of  God.  Some  of  the  contributions  are  trivial  and  of  in- 
terest only  to  the  individual  child  and  others  offer  the  sugges- 
tion for  a  worthwhile  discussion  of  value  to  the  entire  group. 

The  function  of  the  teacher  in  a  conversation  is  a  very  im- 
portant one.  First  of  all,  she  has  to  give  the  necessary  free- 
dom. Some  teachers  suffer  the  delusion  that  they  are  conduct- 
ing a  conversation  when  really  they  are  running  a  monopoly. 


ACTIVITIES  AND  MATERIALS  29 

In  other  classes  all  is  as  silent  as  the  tomb  because  the  teacher 
suppresses  or  fails  to  stimulate.  She  it  is  who  must  provide 
the  incentive  for  conversation  through  pictures  or  objects, 
through  a  story  or  her  own  relating  of  some  incident  of  inter- 
est to  all.  If  she  but  provide  a  social  situation,  such  as  plan- 
ning for  a  birthday  or  sending  flowers  to  a  sick  child,  she  will 
have  a  chorus  of  responding,  voices.  A  question  vital  to  the 
children  will  bring  forth  many  guesses  and  mayhap  the  true 
answer.  It  is  the  teacher's  part  also  to  select  the  topic  for 
group  enlargement,  to  choose  from  the  acclaiming  voices  the 
one  that  shall  be  heard,  and  to  see  to  it  that  the  one  chosen 
is  heard  by  all.  She  may  help  the  little  child  to  complete  his 
thought  by  a  suggestion  or  an  artful  question  here  or  there. 
She  it  is  who  gathers  up  the  single  contributions  and  guides 
to  a  satisfactory  conclusion.  Sympathy  and  insight  are  es- 
sential to  success  in  this  most  difficult  of  arts,  the  conducting 
of  a  conversation  with  a  group  of  little  children. 

Prayer. — Prayer  is  a  conversation  or  communion  with  God. 
It  enriches  the  life  to  include  a  larger  fellowship,  it  stimulates 
the  imagination  to  visions  of  the  unseen,  it  touches  the  emo- 
tions with  a  sense  of  great  love  and  kindness,  and  it  stirs  to 
acts  of  helpfulness  and  service. 

As  a  little  child  talks  to  his  friends  of  those  things  which 
most  deeply  interest  him,  so,  if  prayer  is  to  be  communion,  he 
must  speak  to  God  of  that  which  lies  nearest  his  heart.  It  may 
be  a  request  for  the  toy  engine  which  he  dreams  of  by  night 
and  longs  for  by  day;  it  may  be  thanksgiving  for  the  flower 
in  his  garden  or  for  the  baby  brother  at  the  hospital;  per- 
haps it  is  a  plea  for  care  as  he  crosses  the  street  or  meets  the 
big  black  dog  at  the  corner. 

Whatever  the  children  in  the  group  are  grateful  for  or 
need,  the  teacher  must  discover  and  help  them  to  express  in 
prayer.  By  arousing  their  sympathy  for  others  she  can  gradu- 


30        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

ally  include  prayer  for  these  too.  A  few  words  spoken  in  a 
quiet,  reverent  tone  will  create  the  right  atmosphere  for  de- 
votion. The  imitative  little  children  will  quickly  bow  their 
heads,  fold  their  hands  and  close  their  eyes  as  they  watch  the 
teacher.  Some  will  say  the  words  with  her,  others  will  only 
listen  at  first  and  a  very  few  may  keep  the  eyes  wide  open 
with  a  look  of  wonder.  The  prayer  if  an  original  one  or  if  a 
form,  ought  to  be  very  brief ;  from  one  to  three  sentences  are 
sufficient,  or  four  lines  of  verse  at  most.  The  teacher  should 
respect  the  worship  of  the  children  and  not  close  the  prayer 
until  every  voice  is  still.  Some  will  pray  with  the  group  and 
others  will  repeat  more  slowly,  closing  later.  The  sincerity 
and  utter  forget  fulness  of  all  else  in  a  little  child's  praying 
when  he  truly  communes  with  God,  is  the  most  beautiful  thing 
one  can  imagine. 

Rhythm  and  dramatization. —  Some  vigorous  activity  is 
essential  for  little  children;  the  body  requires  it  and  the  at- 
tention is  lost  in  time  without  it.  If  free  and  spontaneous,  it 
gives  the  child  such  joy  as  ought  to  be  connected  with  the 
hours  devoted  to  religious  education.  Much  activity  of  the 
child  at  this  age  takes  the  form  of  rhythmic  or  dramatic  play 
with  other  children.  Through  such  play  the  child  expresses  his 
emotions  and  thoughts.  He  comes  to  understand  the  world 
about  him  as  he  represents  the  carpenter  or  the  soldier,  as  he 
flies  like  a  bird  or  gallops  like  a  horse.  He  is  socialized  through 
playing  with  other  children — learning  cooperation,  considera- 
tion for  others,  fair  play. 

The  simplest  form  of  dramatic  play  is  rhythmic  expression 
or  characterization  of  mood.  The  sorrowful  mood  is  expressed 
by  the  slow  walk;  the  contented,  happy  mood  in  the  quick 
walk  or  march;  the  joyful  mood  in  the  gay  skip.  Then  there 
is  characterization  through  personification,  when  the  child  rep- 
resents by  his  activity  bird  or  beast,  workman  or  sailor.  Finally 


ACTIVITIES  AND  MATERIALS  31 

the  characterization  may  be  carried  through  a  complete  ac- 
tion with  the  fully  developed  plot.  The  children  march  briskly 
up  and  down  with  alert  bodies  and  happy  faces ;  suddenly  some 
one  thinks  of  being  soldiers  and  with  flag  and  drum  the  march- 
ing continues;  by  and  by  tents  are  erected,  the  soldiers  march 
out  and  parade,  then  break  ranks  and  return  to  their  tents. 
Here  there  are  shown  the  steps  of  which  mention  has  just  been 
made;  in  the  child's  play,  however,  one  step  is  now  repre- 
sented and  again  another.  As  the  children  make  the  tran- 
sition from  kindergarten  to  primary  their  plots  are  longer  and 
more  complex.  The  organization  of  the  four  or  five-year-old 
is  as  a  rule  extremely  simple. 

The  teacher  must  see  that  the  piano  accompaniment  for  any 
rhythmic  activity  is  strongly  accented  and  that  the  pianist 
catches  the  natural  rhythm  of  the  children  as  they  march  or 
run  or  skip.  The  hands  and  feet  as  well  as  the  whole  body  may 
keep  time  to  the  music.  Xo  little  child  should  be  forced  to 
join  in  dramatic  play  until  he  is  ready  to  do  so,  although  the 
timid  child  needs  to  be  frequently  invited.  A  little  boy  watched 
the  other  children  skip  recently  at  Sunday  school;  presently 
he  rose  and  began  to  join  in  the  activity.  When  he  was  ques- 
tioned at  home  as  to  what  he  had  learned  at  Sunday  school, 
he  stated  with  great  pride  that  he  knew  how  to  dance.  In 
rhythmic  movement  the  body  should  be  as  free  as  possible; 
it  is,  therefore,  a  mistake  to  insist  that  the  hands  be  held 
rigidly  at  the  sides  either  in  marching  or  skipping. 

In  order  that  the  child  may  personify  with  true  understand- 
ing and  dramatic  feeling,  he  must  have  gained  through  experi- 
ence vivid  images  of  that  which  he  seeks  to  express.  A  group 
of  children  watched  some  baby  rabbits  for  several  days;  they 
were  entranced  with  their  little  soft  bodies,  alert  movements, 
and  hopping.  Finally  one  morning  some  of  the  children  began 
to  play  that  they  were  rabbits  with  such  clever  imitation  that 
the  spectators  could  fairly  see  the  round  bodies,  button  tails, 


32        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

and  hind  legs  of  the  real  bunnies.  The  teacher  may  enhance 
the  child's  imagery  by  play  with  material,  by  pictures,  by  tone 
of  voice,  by  colorful  words — in  any  or  sometimes  in  all  of 
these  ways.  To  ask  little  children  to  dramatize  a  story  after 
telling  it  to  them  once  is  a  great  mistake.  The  child  must 
know  the  story  thoroughly  before  dramatization  is  expected. 
If  the  request  to  dramatize  comes  from  the  children  it  is  a 
sure  indication  that  they  are  ready  for  some  expression.  How- 
ever, that  expression  for  the  four  and  five-year-old  needs  to 
be  exceedingly  simple.  Often  it  is  sufficient  to  let  them  char- 
acterize the  principal  figure  in  the  story,  as  the  bear  in  The 
Three  Bears;  later  they  can  take  the  parts  of  Father,  Mother, 
and  Baby  Bear,  and  still  later  Goldylocks  may  be  introduced. 
The  children  need  the  teacher's  help  in  selecting  the  characters 
in  the  play,  in  working  out  the  setting  and  hi  organizing. 

The  piano  may  be  used  as  the  organizing  element.  The  little 
child  will  employ  few  words  (possibly  very  brief  dialogue), 
but  most  of  his  play  is  pure  action.  The  dramatization  should 
be  as  spontaneous  as  possible;  the  teacher  who  continually 
interrupts,  dictating  every  movement  and  every  word,  is  carry- 
ing through  the  forms  of  a  drama  when  the  spirit  is  absent 
and  is  stifling  the  true  art  impulse.  If  the  children  are  thus 
dependent  upon  her,  they  are  not  yet  ready  to  express  dra- 
matically or  the  material  or  organization  is  too  difficult  for 
them.  The  teacher  needs  to  be  able  to  guide  the  activity  and 
at  the  same  time  to  efface  herself.  She  has  the  knowledge 
of  true  art  form  which  the  children  lack,  and  it  is  therefore 
her  place  sympathetically  and  artfully  to  help  them  find  it. 

Handwork.  —  The  physical  value  of  handwork  is  too  evi- 
dent to  need  explanation,  and  it  is  not  with  this  value  that  we 
are  chiefly  concerned  in  religious  education.  There  is  no  better 
way  than  through  handwork  to  develop  power  to  think,  and 
even  the  little  child  can  set  and  solve  his  problems.  It  is  as  a 


ACTIVITIES  AND  MATERIALS  33 

means,  therefore,  of  getting  information  and  solving  prob- 
lems and  as  an  avenue  of  self-expression  that  the  handwork  is 
very  valuable.  It  gives  the  child  great  pleasure  and  impresses 
the  lesson  of  the  hour  often  indelibly.  Moreover,  the  chil- 
dren are  usually  in  small  groups  for  this  activity  and  many 
times  cooperate  in  a  social  enterprise,  as  in  the  making  of 
picture  books  for  the  children's  ward  in  a  hospital;  and  thus 
a  social  spirit  is  developed. 

Many  materials  may  be  used.  Some  of  the  important  ones 
are  blocks,  sand  (every  room  should  have  its  sand  table),  clay, 
paper,  pictures,  paste,  scissors,  and  crayon.  Projects  that  re- 
quire a  long  time  for  completion  or  a  great  amount  of  skill 
in  execution  have  no  place  in  the  period  devoted  to  religious 
education,  as  the  very  difficulty  in  execution  diverts  from  the 
thought  or  ideal  that  the  child  is  trying  to  understand  or  ex- 
press through  this  medium.  The  materials,  as  well  as  the 
ends  for  which  they  are  used,  must  be  adapted  to  the  capacities 
of  the  child;  they  must  appeal  to  his  interest  and  offer  the 
maximum  opportunity  for  self-expression. 

The  handwork  may  sometimes  be  used  to  illustrate  the  song 
or  story,  to  provide  setting  for  the  dramatization,  to  express 
some  original  idea  or  feeling  that  has  been  aroused  in  con- 
nection with  the  other  activities  of  the  morning  or  possibly 
at  home  or  in  the  outside  play,  or  it  may  be  used  for  a  social 
purpose.  Whatever  the  occasion  the  teacher  must  be  sure  that 
it  is  a  real  project,  a  whole-hearted  purposeful  activity  on 
the  part  of  the  children.  They  should  understand  and  de- 
sire to  do  the  thing  that  is  proposed.  Sometimes  the  idea 
may  originate  with  the  teacher,  sometimes  with  a  child,  and 
again  each  child  makes  his  own  choice.  By  suggestive  ques- 
tions and  by  the  use  of  imitation  and  discussion  the  children 
are  helped  to  master  difficulties.  The  materials  should  be  kept 
neatly,  each  child  being  responsible  for  the  care  of  his  own 
and  as  far  as  possible  for  putting  them  away.  The  teacher 


34        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

should  appreciate  the  effort  of  all;  everyone  will  want  her 
comment  even  more  than  the  praise  of  one  another.  The  chil- 
dren should  have  the  opportunity  to  use  or  play  with  what 
is  made,  as  this  will  greatly  enhance  its  value  in  their  eyes. 
When  they  build  a  church  with  the  large  floor  blocks,  they 
may  play  going  to  church  and  may  even  reverently  fold  their 
hands  and  pray  as  they  stand  before  its  open  doors;  if  they 
have  made  little  baskets  in  which  to  carry  crumbs  to  the  birds, 
they  may  fill  the  baskets  and  scatter  the  crumbs  from  the  open 
windows. 

The  order  of  procedure. — As  has  been  suggested,  the 
whole  life  of  the  little  child  is  characterized  by  the  play 
attitude.  The  play  attitude,  therefore,  must  characterize 
all  of  these  activities  when  they  are  selected  for  pur- 
poses of  religious  education.  They  must  be  joyous,  spon- 
taneous, entered  upon  whole-heartedly,  employed  as  a 
means  of  expressing  the  thought  and  feeling  of  the  child 
if  they  attain  the  desired  end.  Moreover,  they  are  so 
closely  related  in  the  life  of  the  child,  as  in  their  development 
by  the  race,  that  in  the  expression  of  one  experience  song, 
story,  conversation,  prayer,  dramatization,  and  handwork  may 
be  used.  Pictures  led  to  a  conversation  about  the  Christ-child. 
Then  one  of  the  children  started  to  sing  Luther's  Cradle 
Hymn;  another  child  wanted  to  show  how  to  hold  a  little 
baby.  Everyone  dramatized  holding  a  little  baby  very  care- 
fully. A  story  about  the  Christ-child  was  asked  for,  which 
was  followed  by  framing  a  picture  of  the  Nativity.  The  chil- 
dren were  so  delighted  with  the  result  that  they  skipped  joy- 
ously around  the  room  and  then  came  to  the  piano  wanting 
to  sing  about  the  Little  Lord  Jesus  again.  When  the  teacher 
suggested  thanking  God  for  babies  and  for  the  Christ-child 
there  was  a  heartfelt  response. 

While  it  is  desirable  to  have  a  tentative  order  of  procedure, 


ACTIVITIES  AND  MATERIALS  35 

it  is  equally  desirable  that  this  order  should  be  elastic  enough 
so  that  the  different  forms  of  activity  may  be  utilized  as 
they  will  best  express  the  mood,  the  thought  of  the  moment. 
The  teacher  who  works  with  the  emotional,  veritable  will-o'- 
the-wisp  which  this  child  is,  must  be  able  to  play  up  to  his 
changing  moods  and  flitting  thoughts,  to  create  her  program 
with  the  help  of  the  children,  so  that  it  may  represent  a  real 
living  together.  This  requires  not  less  but  more  preparation; 
it  is  not  an  easy  thing  to  do,  but,  rather,  calls  for  the  greatest 
skill. 

With  this  ideal  in  mind,  the  lessons  in  this  First  Book  in 
Religion  are  presented,  not  as  a  prescribed  but,  rather,  as  a 
suggestive  course  of  study.  The  teacher  who  covets  the  high- 
est measure  of  success  must  adapt  them  to  her  own  group 
of  children,  and  must  remember  that  no  organization  before- 
hand can  be  substituted  for  the  organization  that  must  go  on 
moment  by  moment  in  the  classroom.  The  contributions  or 
the  reactions  of  the  children  are  a  variable  quantity  like  the 
weather,  which  can  never  be  prophesied  with  absolute  certainty. 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE  SETTING 

THE  need  for  a  suitable  environment  and  its  influence  on 
the  child  have  already  been  mentioned.  It  may  be  of  help  to 
give  a  few  practical  suggestions  about  the  room,  furnishings, 
and  equipment. 

The  room. — The  child  at  this  age  demands  not  less  but 
more  space  than  the  adult.  The  ideal  room  therefore  should  be 
large  enough  to  hold  the  handwork  tables,  the  sand-table,  the 
chairs,  and  still  allow  space  for  rhythm  and  dramatic  play. 
There  should  be  no  sense  of  crowding.  The  ceiling  ought  to 
be  fairly  high,  from  ten  to  thirteen  feet,  for  good  ventilation, 
and  there  should  be  a  number  of  windows  for  light  and  air. 
If  possible,  the  exposure  should  be  southeast  to  secure  the 
morning  sunshine.  The  decoration  may  be  in  soft  tones  of 
green  or  tan  with  darker  woodwork  in  brown.  The  green 
and  tan  are  colors  restful  to  the  eyes  and  make  the  room 
light.  The  furniture  and  hangings  should  harmonize  with  the 
scheme  of  decoration. 

The  furnishings. — The  piano  is  very  important.  It  should 
be  sweet-toned  and  in  tune.  The  Mosher  chair  or  one  equally 
well  made  is  desirable  for  posture  and  may  be  purchased  in 
two  heights  to  insure  comfort  to  all  the  children.  The  round 
tables  are  preferable,  as  they  seat  more  children  for  the  space 
occupied  and  are  more  conducive  to  the  social  atmosphere. 
Chairs  and  tables  should  be  correctly  adjusted  to  one  another 
and  to  the  children. 

Windows  which  open  on  a  garden  or  overlook  trees,  grass, 

36 


THE  SETTING  37 

or  water  permit  the  children  to  share  in  nature  even  when 
indoors.  When  the  windows  are  raised  in  the  spring  and 
fall,  the  trees,  the  flowers,  the  birds,  and  the  breezes  are  in- 
cluded in  the  environment.  The  covering  for  the  floor  may 
be  linoleum  or  cork  in  dull  brown  or  greens.  If  the  floor  is 
finished  without  covering,  it  is  helpful  to  have  rubber  tips  on 
the  chairs  as  a  quiet  room  conduces  to  a  reverent  spirit. 

There  should  be  a  cloakroom  or  curtained  alcove  for  the 
wraps  and  a  rack  or  some  zinc  boxes  for  the  rubbers  and  um- 
brellas. A  chest  of  drawers  or  a  built-in  cupboard  is  almost  a  ne- 
cessity to  hold  supplies.  There  should  be  a  desk  or  table  for  the 
teacher,  a  few  comfortable  chairs  for  visitors,  a  movable  black- 
board, a  small,  low  table  for  plants,  and  a  picture  screen.  To 
give  a  touch  of  color  blooming  flowers  may  always  be  brought 
in  by  the  teacher  or  the  children. 

The  equipment. — In  addition  to  the  sand-table  which  has 
already  been  mentioned  and  which  can  be  made  to  order  by 
a  carpenter  or  purchased  through  one  of  the  supply  houses, 
there  are  several  other  necessary  articles  in  the  permanent 
equipment.  A  set  of  blocks  such  as  the  Hennessey  may  be  used 
for  building  inclosures,  houses,  or  churches.  Scissors,  cray- 
olas  in  the  eight  colors,  chalk,  paints  in  at  least  three  colors1, 
brushes,  paste,  and  toothpicks  or  slats  for  handling  the  paste, 
will  all  be  needed  at  different  times. 

There  should  be  a  plentiful  supply  of  manila  paper,  of  con- 
struction or  mounting  paper  in  gray,  brown  and  white,  and  of 
folding  paper  in  the  rainbow  colors.  Small  pans  or  dishes  may 
be  used  to  hold  the  water  when  painting  and  for  the  paste. 
Plasticene,  or  preferably  clay,  is  desirable  for  the  modeling. 
Handwork  boxes  for  the  tables  are  a  great  convenience ;  desk 
baskets  in  the  wire,  reed,  or  wood  may  be  secured  from  a 
desk-supply  house. 

One  or  more  dolls  with  small  chairs,  and  possibly  a  doll 


38        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

carriage  or  cradle,  will  make  the  room  more  homelike  and 
will  occasionally  be  useful  in  the  dramatization.  A  silk  flag 
should  be  a  part  of  the  equipment  of  every  room,  and  small 
flags  are  desirable  in  sufficient  number  so  that  each  child  may 
sometimes  carry  one  in  the  march. 

The  pictures. — As  a  final  contribution  the  beauty  of  the 
room  is  greatly  enhanced  by  a  few  well-chosen  pictures  on  the 
walls.  Every  normal  child  is  interested  in  pictures.  They 
broaden  his  experience,  they  stimulate  his  imagination,  they 
aid  his  understanding,  and  they  develop  his  love  of  the  beauti- 
ful. A  little  child  was  looking  intently  at  Raphael's  Sistine 
Madonna. 

"Where  was  the  mother  when  he  painted  her?"  the  child 
asked. 

"She  was  not  anywhere,"  the  teacher  replied.  "He  thought 
of  her." 

After  a  pause  the  child  remarked,  with  intense  admiration, 
"Say!  but  he  must  have  thought  she  was  beautiful." 

Children  are  attracted  by  bright  colors  or  light  in  the  picture, 
by  suggested  activity,  by  animals  or  children,  by  familiar  ob- 
jects, persons,  or  scenes;  most  of  all  by  the  picture  which  tells 
a  story  on  their  plane.  The  pictures  which  are  brought  to 
them  should  meet  these  requirements,  and  those  which  are 
permanent,  presenting  an  appeal  that  is  constant,  should  be 
the  best  art.  The  following  is  a  suggestive  list  from  which 
five  or  six  may  be  selected  as  permanent: 

Jesus  Blessing  Children,  Plockhorst. 

The  Sistine  Madonna,  Raphael. 

The  Madonna  of  the  Chair,  Raphael. 

The  Good  Shepherd,  Plockhorst. 

The  Lost  Lamb,  Shroud. 

A  Little  Child  Shall  Lead  Them,  Strutt. 

The  Infant  Samuel,  Reynolds. 


THE  SETTING  39 


The  Christ  Child,  Murillo. 

Christ  Child,  Sinkel. 

The  Nativity,  Muller. 

The  Holy  Night,  Correggio. 

The  Apparition  of  the  Shepherds,  Plockhorst. 

The  Arrival  of  the  Shepherds,  LeRolle. 

Rest  in  Flight  to  Egypt,  Titian. 

Adoration  of  Shepherds,  Murillo. 

The  Virgin  at  Six,  Zurbaran. 

The  Angelus,  Millet. 

Feeding  Her  Birds,  Millet. 

The  First  Step,  Millet. 

Bringing  Home  the  New  Born  Calf,  Millet. 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  PROCEDURE 

THE  procedure  will  depend  somewhat  upon  the  place  and 
the  time  where  the  material  is  used.  Wherever  this  may  be, 
the  hour  will  open  with  preparation  of  the  room  and  work 
and  with  greetings  to  the  children. 

Order  of  service. — After  the  children  have  arrived,  a  con- 
versation period  with  more  general  greeting  may  follow.  If 
any  of  the  children  have  birthdays,  these  may  be  recognized. 
If  there  is  a  Cradle  Roll  Department,  new  babies  may  be  wel- 
comed to  it.  When  a  collection  is  brought  by  the  children,  it 
should  be  received  early  in  the  hour,  as  the  money,  even  when 
carried  in  an  envelope  or  pocket  book,  is  a  cause  for  distraction 
until  safely  deposited. 

After  these  more  general  forms,  the  special  material  for 
the  day  may  be  presented,  and  the  contributions  of  the  chil- 
dren received.  Sometimes  this  part  of  the  hour  consists  of  a 
picture,  flower,  object,  or  animal  study,  and  discussion.  There 
are  always  songs,  verses,  or  a  story,  and  sometimes  a  drama- 
tization. The  prayer  is  woven  in  where  it  will  express  thought 
and  feeling.  Handwork  usually  follows  the  story  in  its  func- 
tion of  interpreting  or  expressing.  After  the  separation  into  the 
smaller  handwork  groups  there  is  always  a  coming  together 
again  for  a  song  or  two  and  a  brief  closing  prayer.  The  per- 
sonal good-by  of  the  teacher  is  cherished  by  each  child. 

Birthdays. —  The  recognition  of  his  birthday  means  so  much 
to  the  child  that  he  looks  forward  to  the  day  sometimes  for 
months.  It  is  an  opportunity  too  for  others  to  express  their 

40 


THE  PROCEDURE  41 

love  and  good  wishes  for  him.  The  children  like  to  guess 
whose  birthday  it  is ;  they  can  usually  tell  by  the  pleased,  con- 
scious look  on  the  face  of  the  birthday  child.  They  may  sing 
the  birthday  song  to  him  : 

"Happy  Birthday  we  will  sing  you; 
Many  wishes  we  will  bring  you; 
We  will  light  the  candles  gay, 
For  you  are  five  years  old  to-day." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

The  tiny  birthday  candles  may  be  used  and  the  small  tin 
holders  in  which  they  fit.  As  many  of  the  candles  may  be 
lighted  as  the  child  is  years  old.  While  they  burn  he  may 
choose  his  favorite  song  and  the  children  may  sing  it  with 
him.  Then  he  is  glad  to  carry  each  candle  to  a  playmate  who 
blows  it  out  for  him  and  wishes  him  "A  Happy  Birthday"  or 
some  other  joy.  Perhaps  the  teacher  will  provide  a  flower  or 
a  card  for  the  birthday  child.  All  the  children  may  repeat 
very  softly : 

"Love  we  are  bringing  thee, 

Playmate  so  dear. 
God  give  thee  happiness 
All  through  the  year." 

Instead  of  the  verse  an  informal  prayer  may  be  made  from 
the  children's  wishes,  as,  "Dear  Heavenly  Father,  please  give 
John  a  happy  birthday  and  take  care  of  him  on  this  and  every 
day." 

The  Cradle  Roll. — Whenever  a  new  baby  comes  to  the 
home  of  any  child  in  the  group  there  should  be  a  welcome  for 
it.  The  child  should  have  the  opportunity  to  tell  about  the 
coming  of  the  baby  and  the  facts  which  he  has  gleaned  con- 
cerning it;  its  name,  how  big  it  is,  what  it  looks  like,  its  lack 
of  teeth  and  hair,  its  inability  to  walk  or  talk.  The  teacher 


42        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

may  help  him  with  questions  and  suggestions,  and  the  other 
children  who  have  babies  will  chime  in  with  their  experiences. 
A  lullaby  may  be  sung  and  the  dolls  held  in  lieu  of  a  real 
baby.  The  Lullaby  from  Songs  for  the  Little  Child,  may  be 
used. 

The  children  will  also  enjoy  the  following  song  entitled 
"My  Baby,"  in  connection  with  the  rehearsal  of  what  their 
babies  do : 

I've  a  cunning  baby  boy, 

And  his  name  is  Myron  Lee. 
He  can  sleep  in  mother's  arms 

And  he  rides  on  father's  knee. 
He  can  laugh  and  he  can  crow, 

He  can  pull  my  hair — oh,  oh! 
He's  a  jolly  boy,  ho,  ho! 

And  he's  very  fond  of  me. 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

The  baby's  name  may  be  entered  on  a  Cradle  Roll  card  if 
there  is  such  a  department.  Perhaps  a  little  gift  may  be  made 
for  the  baby — a  pretty  picture  pasted  on  a  card,  a  bright  chain 
or  a  red  ball  out  of  paper  strips  to  hang  on  a  string  by  his 
side.  After  the  children  have  been  led  to  feel  how  precious  a 
little  baby  is,  they  may  join  in  a  prayer  of  thanksgiving: 
"Dear  Father  in  Heaven,  we  thank  Thee  for  Thy  many  gifts 
to  us,  but  most  of  all  for  a  little  baby." 

The  offering. — Where  an  offering  is  brought  by  the  chil- 
dren, it  should  be  so  motivated  by  the  teacher  that  it  is  a  real 
gift  on  their  part.  This  can  be  done  by  arousing  their  sym- 
pathy for  some  other  child  or  group  of  children  whom  they 
wish  to  help.  Often  pictures  make  these  children  more  real. 
The  needs  of  a  little  child  of  which  he  is  most  conscious  are 
material  ones,  hence  he  can  understand  best  the  needs  of  others 
for  food  and  clothing.  "I  saw  their  little  dusty  houses  as  I  was 


THE  PROCEDURE  43 

going  into  the  city,"  said  Eleanor  aged  five  and  a  half  in 
speaking  of  the  poor  children  in  the  great  city.  "They  have 
to  wear  long  black  stockings,  black  shoes  that  are  laced  up 
tight  and  black  dresses  because  their  fathers  is  dead !"  It  was 
summer  time ;  this  child  and  her  playmates  were  wearing  socks 
and  slippers  and  pretty,  light  dresses;  so  to  her  this  picture 
that  she  painted  represented  the  essence  of  misfortune  and 
need. 

Those  to  whom  gifts  are  given  should  not  as  a  rule  be  far 
away;  "home  missions"  are  nearest  to  the  little  child  and  ap- 
peal most  strongly  to  his  interest.  He  should  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  plan  how  his  money  is  to  be  spent  and  should  have 
word  frequently  from  those  to  whom  he  gives.  Their  apprecia- 
tion means  everything  in  stimulating  him  to  further  giving. 
He  is  radiant  when  thanked  and  usually  wants  to  repeat  the 
experience  immediately. 

The  children  may  pass  by  a  low  table  and  drop  their  coins 
in  a  basket.  If  a  march  is  used  at  the  time  of  the  offering,  the 
children  combine  a  needed  physical  activity  with  the  giving. 

The  money  may  be  counted  and  the  teacher  may  talk  with 
the  children  as  to  what  the  sum  will  do.  A  prayer  may  be  used, 
as :  "Dear  God,  we  bring  our  offering  to  thee.  Please  bless  it 
and  the  little  children  for  whom  we  bring  it." 


PART  II 
LESSONS  IN  RELIGION 


CENTERS  OF  INTEREST  FOR  THE  YEAR 

THE  subject-matter  for  these  lessons  is  selected  from  the 
child's  experiences  in  nature,  in  the  home  and  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  in  the  kindergarten.  Bible  stories  and  stories  from 
many  other  sources  are  included  as  illustrative  and  interpre- 
tative material.  It  is  the  aim  through  this  material  to  help 
the  child  to  find  God  everywhere  present  in  his  world  as  the 
Great  Father  of  all,  to  know  Jesus  as  a  friend  of  little  chil- 
dren, to  grow  in  a  consciousness  of  his  relationship  to  his  en- 
vironment and  to  develop  in  response  such  moral  and  religious 
attitudes  and  habits  as  a  little  child  is  capable  of. 

AUTUMN 

I.     Getting  Acquainted. 
II.     What  Little  Children  Have  at  Home  to  Care  For. 

III.  Fall  Treasures. 

IV.  Changes  That  Surprise. 
V.     The  Bulbs  Are  Planted. 

VI.  The  Gift  of  the  Harvest. 

VII.  Home  Activities. 

VIII.  What  a  Child  Can  Do  to  Help. 

IX.  Thanksgiving  Is  Coming. 

X.  What  Thanksgiving  Really  Means. 

XL  The  Thanksgiving  Festival. 

WINTER 
XII.     God's  Greatest  Gift. 

XIII.  The  Joys  of  Christmas. 

XIV.  The  Christmas  Festival. 
XV.     After  Christmas  Play. 

XVI.     The  Lights  at  Night. 
XVII.     The  Christ-Child. 

47 


48        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

XVIII.  Winter  Sport. 

XIX.  Winter  Cold. 

XX.  Winter  Birds. 

XXI.  When  Jesus  Was  a  Boy. 

XXII.  Valentines  a  Gift  of  Love. 

XXIII.  A  Little  Child's  Heroes. 

XXIV.  The  Hero  Festival. 

•*          SPRING 

XXV.  Jesus  Grows  to  Be  a  Man. 

XXVI.  The  Coming  of  Spring. 

XXVII.  Glad  Easter  is  Here. 

XXVIII.  The  Garden. 

XXIX.  The  Wind  a  Playfellow. 

XXX.  The  World  of  Living  Things. 

XXXI.  Every  Living  Thing  Needs  Care. 

XXXII.  The  May  Festival. 

It  is  not  the  intention  to  prescribe  in  this  series  the  activities 
of  the  children  or  to  limit  the  initiative  of  the  teacher,  but  to 
offer  suitable  materials  and  ideas  from  which  selection  may 
be  made  of  those  best  adapted  for  use  with  the  individual 
group. 

The  number  of  Bible  stories  is  necessarily  small,  since  only 
a  few  are  found  in  the  Bible  within  the  comprehension  of  the 
child  of  this  age.  The  Literature  Committee  of  1920,  Inter- 
national Kindergarten  Union,  in  their  selected  list  of  stories 
to  tell  to  children  in  kindergarten  have  named  only  three — The 
Birth  of  Christ,  The  Boy  Samuel,  and  Moses  in  the  Bulrushes. 
The  simple  realistic  story  of  which  many  are  included  in  these 
lessons  is  most  suitable  at  this  period. 

The  songs  given  with  the  lessons  are  found  in  Songs  for  the 
Little  Child,  published  by  The  Abingdon  Press.  There  is 
a  picture  supplement  for  use  with  the  series  also  issued  by  the 
same  publishers. 


AUTUMN 


LESSON  I 
GETTING  ACQUAINTED 

FIRST  impressions  are  all-important,  and  they  are  lasting. 
The  little  child  must  be  made  to  feel  at  home  in  his  new  sur- 
roundings, and  at  ease  with  playmates  and  teachers  before  he 
can  enter  into  new  activities  or  appreciate  other  subject-mat- 
ter. He  needs  time  to  get  accustomed  to  the  other  children, 
to  learn  some  of  their  names,  to  investigate  the  place  in  which 
he  finds  himself.  Any  one  familiar  with  a  child's  response 
on  the  first  day  in  a  new  situation,  knows  how  his  eyes  travel 
from  one  thing  to  another,  how  he  watches  the  other  chil- 
dren, how  absorbed  he  is  in  all  that. is  going  on.  He  scarcely 
heeds  at  all  when  his  own  name  is  called  and  very  often  he 
refuses  to  take  part. 

Preparation : 

Therefore  on  these  first  days  the  teachers  should  make 
much  of  the  greetings  with  each  individual  child,  should 
notice  any  little  treasure  which  the  child  is  carrying  or 
any  new  garment  of  which  he  is  manifestly  proud,  should 
see  to  it  that  the  children  have  the  opportunity  to  go  freely 
about  the  room,  noting  the  pictures,  the  flowers,  the  bird,  the 
chairs  and  tables.  Everything  will  be  of  interest  to  the  children 
and  every  chance  to  explore  will  help  them  to  feel  acquainted. 

If  the  children  can  be  brought  together  as  they  are  looking 
at  pictures  or  watching  the  bird  or  smelling  the  flowers,  at  first 
in  smaller  groups,  and  their  names  mentioned  to  one  another, 
gradually  informal  conversation  will  take  place,  one  hand  will 
slip  into  another,  and  the  new  friends  will  want  to  follow  each 

51 


52        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

other  about  for  the  rest  of  the  hour.  Moreover,  this  enlarging 
of  the  social  consciousness  and  supplying  of  the  need  of  the 
child  for  companionship  are  among  the  most  worthwhile  re- 
sults of  the  time  spent  together. 

Greetings : 

After  the  informal  greetings  which  we  have  described 
and  which  should  be  a  part  of  each  period,  but  a  longer 
part  of  these  first  days,  the  teacher  may  bring  the  chil- 
dren to  the  piano  or  to  a  circle  or  half  circle  of  chairs  near 
the  piano  and  continue  the  conversation  in  a  more  general  way. 
She  may  mention  the  names  of  the  different  children  and 
tell  something  about  each  one's  home  or  baby  or  dress  or  toys 
in  order  to  help  in  this  process  of  getting  acquainted. 

The  child  is  delighted  with  the  individual  recognition  and 
smiles  shyly  as  his  name  is  mentioned.  Perhaps  he  volunteers 
information  about  himself  or  his  possessions  and  the  chil- 
dren who  know  each  other  will  let  that  fact  be  known.  Pos- 
sibly the  teacher  may  suggest  counting  to  see  how  many  are 
present.  The  children  enjoy  the  counting  and  are  especially 
interested  in  the  size  of  the  group,  so  much  larger  than  the 
home  circle.  If  the  teacher  wishes  to  use  a  greeting  song,  it 
may  be  brought  in  at  this  time.  I  suggest  the  following : 

"Good  morning  to  you,  children  dear, 

Good  morning,  we  will  say, 
We'll  sing  and  play  while  we  are  here 
And  have  a  happy  day, 
And  have  a  happy  day! 
And  have  a  happy  day !" 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

Rhythm: 

The  refrain  of  the  song  may  be  sung  with  the  syl- 
lables la-la,  and  the  hands  may  be  clapped  or  the  feet  tapped 
to  the  rhythm.  This  will  introduce  the  physical  activity  needed 


GETTING  ACQUAINTED  53 

by  the  child  and  will  help  in  developing  the  rhythm  and  the 
melody  of  the  song.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  singing  the 
children  may  walk  about  the  room  several  times  while  the 
piano  plays  a  well-accented  march  rhythm.  The  windows 
should  be  opened  during  this  activity.  The  children  will  en- 
joy the  marching  to  music  and  they  will  be  rested  for  another 
period  of  conversation  and  story. 

Pictures  and  conversation : 

The  teacher  may  present  one  or  more  good  pictures  of  the 
family  such  as  are  found  in  the  picture  supplement.  She  may 
show  the  pictures  and  then  ask  the  children  to  tell  her  about 
them.  They  will  immediately  respond  with  some  such  expres- 
sion as  "I  see  the  mother."  "Look  at  the  little  baby!"  "We 
have  a  baby.  It  can't  talk."  "What  is  the  father  doing?" 

Through  the  stimulus  afforded  by  the  picture  the  teacher  is 
receiving  many  confidences  about  the  child's  own  home  and 
family  life.  As  he  shares  with  these  new  friends  the  familiar 
experiences  of  his  past  he  begins  to  feel  decidedly  closer  to 
them.  The  teacher  accepts  every  confidence,  dwelling  upon  the 
ones  that  are  of  the  most  interest  for  the  group,  stressing  now 
the  mother's  care  of  the  baby,  father's  gift  of  a  new  toy,  or 
big  brother's  asistance  in  teaching  the  little  fellow  to  jump. 

Song  and  dramatization : 

Perhaps  some  of  the  children  know  a  lullaby  which  mother 
sings  to  them  or  to  the  baby.  "Hush-a-bye,  Baby"  is  likely  to  be 
familiar  to  all.  The  children  may  sing  this  over  several  times, 
gently  rocking  to  the  music.  If  there  are  one  or  more  dolls  in 
the  room,  these  may  be  held  by  would-be  little  mothers,  making 
more  realistic  the  dramatization.  Other  songs  used  at  home 
may  be  suggested  which  can  be  sung  either  by  individuals  or 
by  the  group.  No  little  child  should  be  urged  to  sing  alone 
on  this  first  day,  nor  later,  in  fact,  unless  he  does  so  gladly. 


54        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

Prayer: 

When  the  love  of  home  and  the  dear  ones  there  has 
been  stirred  by  this  recall  (and  the  teacher  should  be  sensi- 
tive to  her  atmosphere  in  choosing  the  right  time),  she  may 
ask  the  children  if  they  wish  to  thank  the  heavenly  Father 
for  father  and  mother  and  the  baby.  She  may  suggest 
that  all  the  heads  be  bowed,  eyes  closed,  and  hands  folded, 
for  the  outer  form  will  conduce  to  the  spirit  of  devotion.  If 
her  voice  is  quiet  and  reverent,  she  will  secure  the  desired  re- 
sponse. When  all  is  still,  she  may  say,  very  slowly,  "Thank 
you,  heavenly  Father,"  and  then  wait  until  every  child  has 
finished,  who  will  participate. 

Handwork : 

The  children  then  go  to  the  tables  for  the  handwork  period. 
They  may  paste  on  mounts  of  gray  paper  small  copies  of 
one  of  the  pictures  presented  in  the  conversation  period.  If 
such  copies  are  not  available,  any  small  pictures  of  a  baby 
or  the  other  members  of  the  family  may  be  used.  It  will  make 
the  handwork  mean  much  more  to  the  children  if  the  teacher 
talks  about  the  picture  again  at  the  table.  Then  she  may  sug- 
gest mounting  it  to  take  home.  She  can  show  how  to  put  the 
paste  carefully  around  the  edge  of  the  picture,  first  turning  the 
picture  face  down  on  the  table. 

Paste  sticks,  small  brushes,  or  toothpicks  may  be  used  for 
the  pasting,  and  the  child  must  be  told  often  at  first  about 
the  small  amount  of  paste  necessary.  When  the  pictures  have 
been  placed  on  the  mounts  and  firmly  pressed  down,  the  chil- 
dren may  return  with  them  to  the  circle  about  the  piano,  where 
they  may  look  at  one  another's  pictures  and  perhaps  sing  over 
again  one  of  the  songs  used  earlier  in  the  period. 

Dismissal: 

The  hour  may  close  with  a  prayer,  "Dear  heavenly  Father, 


GETTING  ACQUAINTED  55 

please  take  care  of  us  until  we  come  again."  Then  the  teacher 
may  informally  dismiss  the  children,  saying  good-by,  how- 
ever, to  each  child  before  he  leaves  the  room.  The  children 
should  be  aided  by  the  teacher  and  her  assistants  to  find  all 
their  possessions  satisfactorily,  as  grief  over  a  missing  rubber 
or  a  lost  picture  may  spoil  the  impression  of  the  hour. 


LESSON  II 
GETTING  ACQUAINTED  (CONTINUED) 

Review: 

In  the  second  period  together  the  procedure  will  be 
much  the  same  as  in  the  first.  The  greetings  will  continue  to  be 
emphasized,  the  "Good  morning"  and  the  "Hush-a-bye,  Baby" 
will  be  sung  with  any  other  appropriate  music  that  the  children 
may  suggest;  the  pictures  may  be  used  again  and  one  or  two 
new  ones  added;  the  conversation  will  include  new  incidents 
of  home  life  brought  in  by  the  children  and  the  teacher.  The 
teacher  may  especially  emphasize  everything  mentioned  about 
the  baby  and  ask  questions  concerning  the  care  given  by  the 
children  to  the  baby,  as  "Did  you  ever  hold  your  baby  ?"  "Who 
takes  care  of  the  baby  when  mother  is  busy?"  "Does  the  baby 
like  to  have  you  play  with  him?" 

Such  simple  rhythm  and  representative  play  may  be  used 
as  the  children  suggest  through  their  contributions  and  as 
will  be  necessary  to  give  them  enough  motor  activity.  After 
one  of  these  periods  of  activity — perhaps  the  holding  of  the 
baby,  playing  pat-a-cake,  or  peek-a-boo — the  following  Bible 
story  may  be  told  without  any  preliminary  introduction.  If 
the  children  have  been  sitting  in  the  circle  or  half  circle,  it  is 
well  to  bring  them  into  a  closer  group  about  the  teacher  for 
the  story.  It  is  important  that  every  little  child  should  be 
comfortable  before  the  story  begins ;  there  should  be  no  crowd- 
ing and  every  one  should  be  where  he  can  see  the  teacher's 
face. 

Story: 

Once    upon    a   time    there    was    a    mother    and    a    baby, 
56 


GETTING  ACQUAINTED  57 

and  the  baby's  name  was  Moses.  The  mother  was  glad  when 
God  sent  the  baby  Moses  to  her,  but  she  was  afraid  that  she 
could  not  keep  the  baby  safe.  There  was  a  wicked  king  in  her 
country  who  wanted  to  get  rid  of  all  the  babies  of  the  Hebrew 
people;  and  Moses'  mother  was  one  of  the  Hebrew  people. 
The  wicked  king  planned  to  throw  any  Hebrew  baby  that 
was  found  into  the  river. 

The  mother  asked  God  to  help  her  keep  the  baby  safe.  When 
he  was  very  tiny  she  put  him  in  a  room  and  closed  the  door 
carefully.  No  one  could  hear  such  a  little  baby  even  when  he 
cried ;  but  he  grew  fast,  and  by  and  by  his  crying  and  his  coo- 
ing and  his  crowing  could  be  heard  outside  the  door.  Then  the 
mother  feared  that  the  servants  of  the  wicked  king  would  hear 
and  would  take  Moses  away  from  her. 

She  made  a  little  basket  from  reeds  which  she  wove  to- 
gether. She  lined  the  basket  with  pitch  to  keep  the  water 
out,  and  then  she  put  the  baby  into  the  basket.  She  carried  both 
down  to  the  river's  edge ;  and  let  the  basket  float  among  the  tall 
grasses  near  the  bank.  Moses'  sister  Miriam  loved  him  too, 
and  came  down  to  the  river  with  the  mother.  Now  the  mother 
had  to  go  back  to  the  house  to  do  her  work,  and  she  said, 
"Miriam,  will  you  watch  the  baby  while  I  am  gone?"  Then 
Miriam  watched  the  baby  and  one  other  watched  him  too — 
that  was  God,  the  heavenly  Father. 

As  Miriam  was  watching  hidden  in  among  the  bushes,  she 
saw  a  beautiful  lady  coming  to  the  river  with  her  maidens,  to 
bathe  in  the  water.  It  was  the  princess,  the  daughter  of  the 
wicked  king.  Before  Miriam  could  stop  her,  she  had  parted  the 
grasses  at  the  river's  edge  and  was  looking  down  upon  the  baby 
Moses.  "Oh,  see  the  baby  in  the  basket !"  she  said.  "He  must 
be  one  of  the  children  of  the  Hebrew  people."  The  baby  Moses 
began  to  cry  and  the  princess  was  sorry  for  him.  She  said, 
"My  father  shall  not  throw  him  in  the  river." 

When  Miriam  heard  that,  she  ran  to  the  princess.    "Shall 


58        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

I  go  to  call  a  nurse  for  the  baby?"  she  asked.  And  the  princess 
said  to  her,  "Go."  You  can  guess  for  whom  Miriam  went. 
She  found  Moses'  own  mother  who  came  to  the  princess.  The 
princess  said  to  the  mother,  "Take  this  child  and  nurse  it  for 
me."  That  is  how  God  helped  the  mother  to  keep  her  baby 
safe. 

Following  the  story  the  beautiful  picture  of  "Moses  in  the 
Bulrushes,"  by  Delaroche,  may  be  shown.  After  all  have  seen 
and  talked  about  the  picture  the  teacher  may  suggest  this  or 
a  similar  prayer:  "We  thank  you,  dear  God,  for  taking  care 
of  the  baby  Moses.  Please  take  care  of  us  and  of  our  babies." 

Handwork: 

The  children  may  go  to  the  tables  and  mount  small 
copies  of  the  picture  in  the  way  suggested  for  the  first 
handwork  lesson.  The  story  may  be  simply  retold  by  the 
teacher  to  the  smaller  handwork  group  in  connection  with  the 
picture  study  at  the  table.  It  is  well  at  this  time  to  suggest 
the  pleasure  that  mother  and  father  will  have  if  the  child  will 
tell  them  the  story  after  he  goes  home.  This  gives  a  motive 
for  retelling  the  story,  and  each  time  that  the  child  expresses 
any  part  of  it  he  is  making  it  much  more  fully  his  own.  Every 
opportunity  to  bring  the  home  and  school  closer  together  should 
be  embraced. 

Dismissal: 

The  dismissal  can  take  place  in  the  same  way  as  was  indi- 
cated for  the  first  period. 


LESSON  III 

WHAT  LITTLE  CHILDREN  HAVE  AT  HOME  TO 
CARE  FOR 

NEXT  to  the  home  and  the  family  of  which  the  child  has 
been  speaking  he  is  usually  most  familiar  with  and  most  in- 
terested in  pets.  He  talks  freely  on  this  subject;  it  affords  a 
stimulus  for  handwork  expression  and  dramatization.  In  the 
joy  of  caring  for  these  helpless  animals  the  child  forgets  him- 
self. It  would  be  well  to  welcome  one  or  more  pet  visitors  this 
week  to  make  the  lesson  more  concrete.  God  is  thanked  for 
the  pets. 

Preparation: 

In  the  preparation  period  it  is  not  only  important  that  the 
teacher  should  greet  each  child  as  he  comes  in  and  take  a  mo- 
ment for  the  brief  visit  about  the  things  that  are  of  keenest 
interest  to  him,  but  she  should  welcome  the  help  of  the  chil- 
dren who  come  early  in  the  preparation  of  the  materials 
and  the  room.  In  the  first  place,  all  the  children  should  be 
encouraged  to  be  independent  in  taking  off  and  putting  on 
their  own  wraps  as  far  as  they  are  able.  In  this  way  the 
teacher  may  help  the  child  not  only  to  become  more  independ- 
ent, but  to  consider  the  mother  at  home,  relieving  her  of  much 
waiting  on  him. 

After  the  wraps  are  removed  they  should  be  carefully  hung 
on  low  hooks  in  the  children's  coat  room  by  the  children. 
There  will  be  various  duties  about  the  room,  such  as  the  filling 
of  the  flower  vases,  the  putting  on  the  screen  of  the  incidental 
pictures,  the  preparation  of  the  handwork  boxes.  With  all 

59 


60        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

of  these  details  the  children  are  happy  to  assist  and  such  serv- 
ice may  carry  to  the  home. 

Greeting: 

From  this  active  preparation  the  children  come  together 
for  the  good-morning  talk  and  song  when  the  teacher  may 
recognize  the  new  child,  the  one  who  has  been  absent,  or  the 
birthday  child  in  a  special  way.  It  is  at  this  time  that  the 
children  are  often  eager  to  show  some  little  treasure  that  they 
may  have  brought  in — a  leaf,  a  flower,  a  picture,  or  a  toy. 
Sometimes  interesting  and  worthwhile  conversations  center 
about  these  contributions. 

Then  almost  always  there  are  confidences  of  supreme  im- 
portance to  the  individual  child  which  he  wishes  to  tell  the 
group  as  "My  father  came  home  from  New  York,"  "We  had 
dinner  at  my  aunt's  house,"  "I've  got  a  little  dog !"  The  teacher 
accepts  these,  the  child  is  satisfied  and  the  group  brought 
closer  together.  Sometimes  a  few  words  of  prayer  either  of 
request  or  thanksgiving  are  inspired  by  these  experiences. 

During  this  time  or  at  the  close,  some  rhythmic  activity 
should  be  used,  either  clapping  to  the  music  of  the  song  or 
marching  or  skipping  to  music,  informally  with  no  emphasis 
on  succession. 

Pictures  and  conversation: 

A  few  new  pictures  of  children  in  the  home  with  the  baby 
or  caring  for  pets — birds,  kittens,  a  dog  or  rabbit — may  be 
placed  on  the  picture  screen  and  shown  to  the  group.  Con- 
versation concerning  these  pictures  will  take  place  among  the 
children  with  the  teacher  guiding  to  bring  out  the  necessary 
care  in  each  case  as,  "What  is  the  little  girl  giving  the  kitten?" 
"Where  do  you  suppose  the  kitten  sleeps  ?"  "Does  the  kitten 
like  the  warm  hearth?" 

The  little  child  will  not  only  answer  the  questions  and  ex- 


WHAT  LITTLE  CHILDREN  HAVE  TO  CARE  FOR  61 

press  his  ideas  about  the  picture,  but  he  will  tell  many  incidents 
about  his  pets  and  the  care  for  them,  as :  "I  have  a  little  dog. 
He  likes  a  bone."  "Our  bird  sings  when  he  has  a  bath."  "My 
kitten  scratched  me  on  the  cheek."  "I  give  our  rabbits  bread." 
Among  the  pictures  will  be  some  of  the  baby,  and  the  teacher 
may  lead  the  conversation  once  more  to  the  way  the  children 
help  care  for  him.  They  may  sing,  "Hush-a-bye  Baby"  as  a 
group  and  individually,  while  one  or  two  hold  the  dolls. 

Story  and  dramatization: 

Then  the  teacher  may  retell  the  story  of  "The  Baby  Moses," 
in  the  same  words  as  she  used  before — the  children  will  resent 
any  changes.  After  she  has  told  the  story  the  children  may  look 
at  the  picture  again ;  this  time  the  teacher  may  ask  suggestive 
questions;  as,  "Where  was  the  baby?"  "Why  did  the  mother 
put  him  in  the  basket  in  the  water  ?"  "Who  watched  him  when 
the  mother  went  away?"  "Who  found  him  in  the  basket?" 
"What  did  the  princess  do  with  the  baby?"  "Shall  we  thank 
God  for  watching  the  baby  and  ask  him  to  watch  our  babies?" 

After  the  prayer,  the  children  may  want  to  dramatize  the 
story.  They  can  do  so  very  simply  by  letting  one  child  repre- 
sent the  mother,  who  puts  one  of  the  dolls  in  a  basket  and 
places  it  in  a  make-believe  river,  by  letting  another  child  repre- 
sent Miriam,  who  watches  near  by,  and  by  selecting  a  third 
child  as  the  princess,  who  rescues  the  baby.  Very  little  con- 
versation is  to  be  expected ;  almost  all  of  the  story  will  be  told 
in  action.  This  dramatization  should  not  be  forced  on  the 
children,  and  the  teacher  should  carefully  select  from  the  chil- 
dren who  want  to  play  the  best  ones  for  the  parts.  The  set- 
ting should  be  agreed  upon  before  the  action  starts. 

Handwork : 

The  handwork  may  be  the  modeling  of  a  little  basket 
out  of  clay.  Each  child  may  be  given  on  a  piece  of  wrapping 


62        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 


paper  a  lump  of  clay  about  the  size  of  an  egg.  The  child 
may  shape  the  little  basket  by  putting  his  thumb  in  the 
center  of  the  clay  and  pressing  out  the  form.  The  teacher  may 
help  by  modeling  with  the  children.  After  the  baskets  are 
finished  the  teacher  may  cut  from  paper  little  babes  for  the 
boats.  The  children  will  enjoy  reviewing  the  story  with  this 
play  toy,  and  the  story  will  be  made  more  realistic  thereby. 

BOAT  BASKET 

5x5  inches 


CUT 


CUT 


CUT 


CUT 


CUT 


Cut 
I  inch 


If  clay  is  not  available,  a  little  basket  may  be  made  from 
paper  as  follows:  a  piece  of  square  paper  is  folded  once 
to  make  an  oblong  and  again  to  make  an  oblong  half  the  width. 

The  paper  is  opened  and  one  strip  cut  off.  The  paper  is 
cut  at  either  end  about  an  inch  on  the  two  lines,  and  the  ends 
pasted  together  to  form  the  basket. 

Dismissal: 

The  dismissal  may  take  place  as  suggested  in  the  first 
lesson. 


LESSON  IV 

WHAT  LITTLE  CHILDREN  HAVE  AT  HOME  TO 
CARE  FOR  (CONTINUED) 

Observation  and  conversation : 

On  this  day  the  teacher  has  brought  to  the  class  not  only 
the  pictures  of  the  pets  but  one  or  perhaps  two  canaries.  The 
cage  is  set  on  a  table  around  which  the  children  place  their 
chairs  at  a  sufficient  distance  not  to  frighten  the  birds.  They 
watch  the  little  birds  intently. 

The  teacher  lets  one  child  fill  the  water  dish  and  another 
one  the  seed  dish;  it  is  of  the  greatest  interest  to  watch  the 
birds  eat.  There  is  conversation  too  about  when  they  should 
be  fed  and  how  much  as  well  as  what  they  eat.  Children  who 
have  birds  at  home  will  volunteer  information.  A  child  can 
fill  the  bath  tub  for  the  birds  and  perhaps  they  will  bathe  if 
the  children  have  been  very  careful  not  to  excite  them.  Then 
they  may  sing  after  the  bath.  The  children  can  interpret  the 
song  of  the  little  birds  by  singing  "The  Canary  Bird,"  from 
Songs  for  the  Little  Child : 

"I'm  glad  to  see  you  here, 

Chee-ree-ree-cheer ! 

Chee-ree-ree-cheer ! 

I'm  glad  to  see  you  here, 

My  little  children  dear." 

Then  what  fun  to  reply  to  the  little  bird : 
"We're  glad  to  see  you  here, 
Chee-ree-ree-cheer ! 
Chee-ree-ree-cheer ! 
We're  glad  to   see  you  here, 
Our  little  birdie  dear." 

63 


64        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

Story:  How  Dickie  Came  Back. 

If  a  story  is  wanted,  the  following  true  incident  may  be  told  : 

Once  upon  a  time  there  were  some  children  playing  in  a 
room  where  there  were  two  little  birds  in  a  cage.  The  win- 
dows of  the  room  were  open,  and  one  of  the  children  pushed 
the  door  of  the  cage  up.  Before  she  knew  what  had  happened 
one  of  the  little  birds  had  hopped  out  of  the  door  and  flown 
out  of  the  window. 

"Oh,  dear,  dear,  what  shall  I  do?"  cried  Marjorie,  for  that 
was  the  little  girl's  name. 

"Close  the  door  quick  so  the  other  little  bird  will  not  fly  out !" 
called  Bobbs,  who  had  seen. 

Then  the  rest  of  the  children  heard,  and  they  ran  with  Bobbs 
and  Marjorie  to  the  window.  On  the  branch  of  the  tree  out- 
side sat  the  little  bird  very  near  and  yet  too  far  to  reach. 

"I  am  sure  that  he  will  freeze  if  he  stays  out  there,"  said 
Marjorie. 

"Maybe  the  cat  will  catch  him,"  said  Harry. 

"What  can  we  do  to  get  him  in?"  demanded  Bobbs. 

At  first  they  thought  they  would  close  the  blinds  and  make 
the  room  dark  as  they  had  done  one  day  when  the  little  bird 
flew  out  in  the  room.  Then  they  saw  that  pulling  the  blinds 
would  not  make  it  dark  outdoors  and  would  not  bring  the  little 
bird  in. 

"I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do,  I'll  climb  the  tree  and  catch  him," 
said  Harry. 

"You  will  only  frighten  him  away  if  you  do  that,"  said 
Marjorie. 

Then  somebody  thought  of  calling  the  little  bird,  and  they 
called  him  very  sweetly  again  and  again,  "Here  Dickie,  Dickie, 
Dick" ;  but  the  little  bird  did  not  move. 

"I  am  sure  that  Dickie  likes  apple,"  said  Bobbs.  "We  will 
put  a  piece  here  on  the  table  by  the  window." 


WHAT  LITTLE  CHILDREN  HAVE  TO  CARE  FOR  65 

"Yes,"  said  Marjorie,  "and  we  will  put  the  cage  with  the 
other  little  bird  on  the  table  by  the  apple." 

The  other  little  bird  was  lonesome;  she  was  calling  too, 
"Sweet,  sweet,  Dickie,  Dickie,  Dick."  When  all  was  ready 
they  closed  every  window  but  the  one  by  the  tree ;  Bobbs  stood 
near  in  order  to  shut  it  as  soon  as  the  little  bird  flew  in.  The 
other  children  went  away  and  were  very  still. 

"Sweet,  sweet,  Dickie,  Dickie,  Dick,"  sang  the  little  mate, 
and  the  apple  lay  temptingly  near.  Dickie  hopped  closer  to  the 
window;  the  children  were  breathless.  Then  he  spread  his 
wings  and  in  an  instant  he  was  on  the  table  by  his  little  mate 
pecking  at  the  apple.  Bobbs  shut  the  window;  Marjorie 
raised  the  cage  door  and  gently  pushed  the  apple  inside ;  Dickie 
hopped  after  it.  You  should  have  seen  the  children  dance 
and  heard  them  sing,  "O  Dickie,  Dickie,  Dick  is  safe  again !" 

Prayer : 

The  children  will  sing  to  the  little  bird  visitors  again  and 
talk  about  the  story.  Then  the  teacher  may  suggest  a  prayer : 
"Dear  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  thee  for  little  birds.  Help 
us  to  take  good  care  of  them."  There  will  be  no  handwork 
period  as  the  care  of  the  birds  has  taken  the  time.  The  in- 
formal dismissal  may  follow  the  prayer. 


LESSON  V 
FALL  TREASURES 

IT  will  not  be  necessary  to  speak  of  the  greetings  and 
the  preparations  again  unless  to  add  some  new  suggestion 
from  time  to  time.  We  can  proceed  to  the  material  of  the 
topic  that  is  being  introduced.  Fall  treasures  are  some- 
what different  in  various  parts  of  the  country;  what  is  given 
here  is  selected  as  illustrative  of  the  kind  of  discussion  and 
play  which  may  be  developed  with  fall  nature  material  any- 
where. The  teacher  and  children  bring  some  of  the  treasures 
to  the  hour  together,  examine  them,  play  with  them,  and,  of 
course,  enjoy  them.  Again  God  is  connected  with  the  child's 
pleasure  as  its  source. 

Conversation: 

The  room  is  gay  with  the  autumn  flowers  and  the  bright 
leaves  brought  in  by  the  teacher  and  many  of  the  children. 
Every  table  has  its  vase  of  them,  and  there  may  be  branches 
in  the  wall  pockets  and  in  jars  on  the  floor. 

The  children's  faces  are  as  bright  as  the  flowers  and  leaves. 
They  begin  spontaneously  to  talk  about  them,  and  the  teacher 
leads  them  to  tell  where  they  found  these  treasures,  to  note 
the  colors  in  them,  to  connect  them  with  the  fall  of  the  year. 
As  the  flowers  are  named  the  children  will  enjoy  saying  over 
and  over  a  little  verse  like  the  following  one,  in  which  may  be 
woven  the  correct  names  of  the  flowers  and  the  month : 

"Asters  and  daisies  and  goldenrod  bright 
Come  in  October  to  gladden  our  sight." 

66 


FALL  TREASURES  67 

Sense  game: 

One  each  of  the  different  flowers  and  a  leaf  may  be  used 
as  material  for  a  sense  game.  A  child  may  blind  his  eyes 
and  another  hide  one  of  the  flowers  or  the  leaf.  The  blind- 
folded child  opens  his  eyes  and  tells  which  one  is  gone.  The 
children  delight  in  this  little  play,  and  they  are  becoming  more 
familiar  with  the  names  of  the  flowers.  Instead  of  using 
names,  colors  may  sometimes  be  substituted. 

Story:  The  Maple  Tree. 

Once  upon  a  time  a  maple  tree  grew  in  the  midst  of  a  little 
child's  garden.  All  summer  the  child  had  played  in  the  shade 
of  its  thick  green  leaves.  Now  summer  was  gone  and  autumn 
had  come.  One  day  the  mother  said  to  the  little  child,  "I 
want  you  to  watch  the  maple  tree  carefully ;  something  wonder- 
ful is  going  to  happen  to  it." 

The  little  child  begged  the  mother  to  tell  what  it  was,  but 
the  mother  said,  "No,  it  would  spoil  the  surprise  if  I  should 
tell  you." 

Every  day  the  little  child  watched  until  finally  one  day  she 
was  rewarded.  When  she  looked  up  at  the  maple  tree  she  dis- 
covered that  every  leaf  had  changed  to  gold.  "Mother,  mother," 
the  little  child  called,  "I  know  the  surprise.  The  maple  leaves 
have  turned  yellow.  They  shine  like  the  sun." 

Song: 

After  the  story  the  children  may  handle  the  leaves  and  talk 
about  the  changes  in  the  leaves  on  the  trees.  They  may  sing 
about  the  gay  leaves : 

"Now  the  gay  leaves  on  the  trees, 
Playing  with  the  autumn  breeze, 
Whirling,  twirling  in  the  air, 
Fall  here  and  there." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 


68        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

Prayer: 

The  teacher  may  say  that  God  gives  the  beautiful  flowers 
and  the  trees  with  the  changing  leaves  and  ask  if  the  children 
would  like  to  thank  him  for  them.  If  she  has  chosen  the  right 
time,  there  will  be  an  atmosphere  of  devotion  even  though  only 
a  few  of  the  children  may  attempt  to  join  in  the  prayer :  "Dear 
heavenly  Father,  we  thank  thee  for  the  beautiful  flowers  and 
leaves  that  come  in  the  autumn." 

Handwork: 

As  handwork,  there  are  many  suggestions  that  may  be  used. 
The  children  may  have  crayon  and  paper  and  draw -freehand, 
leaves  or  fall  flowers  as  they  choose.  Needles  and  thread  may 
be  furnished  them  and  they  may  string  chains  of  the  real 
leaves,  or  leaf  stencils  may  be  provided  and  the  children  may 
crayon  inside  the  stencils  fastened  with  paper  clips  to  a  back- 
ground. 

Dismissal: 

If  there  is  time  before  dismissal,  some  of  the  familiar  songs 
may  be  sung  and  the  children  may  have  the  opportunity  to  show 
one  another  what  has  been  made. 


LESSON  VI 


FALL  TREASURES  (CONTINUED) 

Handwork : 

When  the  children  arrive  let  them  go  to  the  handwork 
tables,  and  talk  about  going  for  a  walk  to  the  woods  or 
park.  Suggest  that  each  one  make  a  little  basket  in  which 
to  carry  the  treasures  that  he  finds.  Give  the  children  con- 
struction paper  in  squares  9  by  9.  Fold  over  one  edge  one 
third  the  distance  to  the  other  edge;  then  fold  the  other 
edge  over  to  meet  the  new  base  line.  Open  the  paper 
and  cut  three  inches  on  either  end  of  both  lines.  Fold 
over  the  outer  squares  thus  made  and  fasten  to  the  inner 
square  with  a  brad  at  each  side;  a  handle  of  the  construction 
paper  doubled  may  be  fastened  with  the  same  brad. 

9x9  inches 


CUT 


CUT 


X 

CUT 


X 

CUT 


Cut 

3 
inches 


Fasten 
with 
brad 


69 


70        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

Excursion: 

As  the  children  start  on  their  walk  they  will  be  so  full  of 
happy  anticipation  that  they  will  want  to  skip  or  run  almost 
constantly  for  the  first  few  blocks.  Let  them  notice  the  fall 
flowers  and  gay  leaves.  They  may  want  to  repeat  again  and 
again : 

"Asters  and  daisies  and  golden  rod  bright 
Come  in  October  to  gladden  our  sight." 

Where  it  is  possible  to  do  so,  they  may  dance  with  the  leaves, 
run  through  piles  of  them,  and  crunch  them  under  foot.  They 
will  enjoy  gathering  bunches  of  them  and  presenting  to  the 
teacher.  Lead  them  to  look  for  other  treasures  of  the  fall, 
particularly  the  seeds  of  different  kinds,  such  as  acorns,  burrs, 
and  milkweed  pods.  They  can  make  collections  of  these  in  the 
little  baskets.  Any  other  objects  of  interest  should  be  noted 
and  appreciated. 

On  returning  to  the  room  the  children  may  gather  about 
the  teacher  and  take  the  treasures  out  of  their  baskets,  examin- 
ing and  talking  about  them.  The  teacher  may  lead  them 
through  question  and  suggestion  to  discover  the  little  seed  or 
seeds  in  each  protecting  case — the  acorn  in  the  acorn 
shell,  the  many  winged  seeds  in  the  milkweed  pod, 
the  seed  in  the  burr  covering.  The  children  can  with 
a  little  help  from  the  teacher  discover  the  value  of  the  burr 
as  a  means  of  scattering  the  seed,  and  the  down  on  the  milk- 
weed for  the  same  purpose.  A  delightful  game  may  be  played 
with  the  milkweed  seeds,  one  or  two  children  at  a  time  acting 
as  the  wind  and  attempting  to  keep  the  little  seed  afloat.  If 
there  is  time,  the  story  of  "The  Magic  Flower,"  from  Maude 
Lindsay's  The  Story-Teller,  may  be  told. 

Story:  The  Magic  Flower. 

Once  upon  a  time  there  lived  a  wee  woman  whose  bit  of 


FALL  TREASURES  71 

a  garden  was  a  delight  to  all  eyes.  Such  flowers  as  she  had ! 
And  in  the  midst  of  them,  green  as  an  emerald  and  smooth 
as  velvet,  was  a  grass  plot  with  never  a  weed  upon  it.  And 
through  the  grass  ran  a  garden  walk  as  white  as  snow.  Every 
one  who  saw  it  declared  there  was  no  prettier  garden  in  the 
king's  country  and  what  they  said  was  no  more  than  what  was 
true. 

Early  and  late  the  wee  woman  worked  to  keep  her  garden 
fair  and  lovely,  but  in  spite  of  all  her  care  whenever  the  east 
wind  blew  it  brought  with  it  a  whirl  of  trash  from  her  neigh- 
bor's dooryard,  and  scattered  it  among  her  flowers. 

Alack  and  alas,  what  a  dooryard  was  that !  Except  for  the 
trash  that  was  always  upon  it,  it  was  as  bare  as  the  palm  of 
your  hand ;  and  there  was  a  heap  of  dirt  and  ashes  as  high  as 
a  hillock  in  front  of  the  door.  Everybody  who  passed  it 
turned  their  eyes  away  from  it,  for  there  was  no  uglier  spot 
in  the  king's  country;  and  that  is  nothing  but  the  truth  of  it. 

Whenever  the  wee  woman  looked  from  her  windows  or 
walked  in  her  garden  she  saw  the  dooryard,  and  many  were  the 
days  when  she  said  to  herself :  "I  wish  I  were  a  thousand  miles 
away  from  it";  and  if  she  made  up  her  mind,  as  sometimes 
she  did,  that  she  would  trouble  no  more  about  it,  the  east  wind 
was  sure  to  come  with  a  whirl  of  its  trash.  Oh,  it  seemed  as 
if  she  were  always  cleaning  because  of  that  dooryard! 

And  what  to  do  about  it  she  did  not  know.  She  puzzled 
and  planned,  she  wished  and  she  worked,  but  she  had  come 
to  the  end  of  her  wits  when,  one  day,  her  fairy  godmother 
came  to  see  her. 

"Never  fret,"  said  the  godmother  when  she  had  heard  the 
trouble.  "In  your  own  garden  grows  a  magic  flower  that 
can  set  things  right;  and,  if  you  will  only  tend  it  and  watch  it 
and  wait  long  enough  you  shall  see  what  you  shall  see." 

And  when  she  had  pointed  out  the  flower  she  went  on  her 
way,  leaving  the  wee  woman  much  comforted. 


72        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

She  tended  the  flower  and  watched  it  and  waited  to  see; 
and  while  she  was  watching  and  waiting,  the  flower  burst  into 
bloom.  The  loveliest  bloom !  Every  blossom  was  as  rosy  as  the 
little  clouds  at  sunrise ;  and  the  wee  woman's  garden  was  more 
beautiful  than  before  because  of  them. 

"  'Tis  the  prettiest  garden  in  the  king's  country,"  said  every 
one  who  passed;  and  what  they  said  was  no  more  than  what 
was  true. 

But  as  for  the  neighbor's  dooryard  it  was  as  bare  and  ugly 
as  ever.  The  heap  of  dirt  and  ashes  grew  larger  every  day; 
and  whenever  the  wind  blew  from  the  east  it  brought  a  whirl 
of  its  trash  into  the  wee  woman's  garden  just  as  it  had  always 
done. 

The  wee  woman  looked  each  morning  to  see  if  the  magic 
of  the  flower  had  begun  to  work,  but  morning  after  morning 
nothing  changed. 

"It  is  long  waiting  and  weary  watching  for  magic  things 
to  work,"  said  she  to  herself,  but  because  of  what  her 
fairy  godmother  had  told  her,  she  tended  the  flower  from  day 
to  day,  and  hoped  in  her  heart  that  something  might  come  of 
it  yet. 

By  and  by  the  blossoms  of  the  flower  faded  and  fell  and 
after  them  came  the  seed.  Hundreds  and  hundreds  of  feathery 
seed  there  were,  and  one  day  the  wind  from  the  west  came  by, 
and  blew  them  away  in  a  whirl  over  the  fence  and  into  the 
neighbor's  dooryard.  No  one  saw  them  go,  not  even  the  wee 
woman  knew  what  had  become  of  them;  and  as  for  the  door- 
yard, it  was  as  ugly  as  ever  with  its  ash  heap  and  its  trash. 
Everybody  who  passed  it  turned  their  eyes  away  from  it. 

The  wee  woman  herself  would  look  at  it  no  longer. 

"I  will  look  at  the  magic  flower  instead,"  she  said  to  herself, 
and  so  she  did.  Early  and  late  she  tended  the  plant  and  worked 
to  make  her  garden  fair  and  lovely ;  but  she  kept  her  eyes 
from  the  dooryard.  And  if  the  wind  from  the  east  blew  trash 


FALL  TREASURES  73 

among  her  flowers,  she  raked  it  away  and  burned  it  up  and 
troubled  no  more  about  it. 

Summer  slipped  into  autumn  and  autumn  to  winter  and  the 
flowers  slept ;  but  at  the  first  peep  of  spring  the  wee  woman's 
garden  budded  and  bloomed  once  more;  and  one  day  as  she 
worked  there,  with  her  back  to  the  dooryard,  she  heard  passers- 
by  call  out  in  delight : 

"Of  all  the  gardens  in  the  king's  country  there  are  none  so 
pretty  as  these  two,"  and  when  she  looked  around  in  surprise 
to  see  what  they  meant  she  saw  that  the  neighbor's  dooryard 
was  full  of  flowers — hundreds  and  hundreds  of  lovely  blos- 
soms, every  one  as  rosy  as  the  little  clouds  at  sunrise.  They 
covered  the  heap  of  dirt  and  ashes,  they  clustered  about  the 
door  stone;  they  filled  the  corners;  and  in  the  midst  of  them 
was  the  neighbor,  raking  and  cleaning  as  busily  as  if  she  were 
the  wee  woman  herself. 

"  'Tis  fine  weather  for  flowers,"  she  said,  nodding  and 
smiling  at  the  wee  woman. 

"The  finest  in  the  world,"  said  the  wee  woman;  and  she 
nodded  and  smiled  too,  for  she  knew  that  the  magic  flower  had 
done  its  work.1 

Prayer: 

After  the  children  have  been  filled  with  the  wonder  and 
delight  of  this  experience  a  brief  prayer  of  thanksgiving  may 
be  offered :  "Dear  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  you  for  taking 
such  wonderful  care  of  the  little  seeds." 

(If  it  is  not  possible  to  take  the  children  for  an  excursion, 
the  teacher  may  bring  to  the  children  the  different  kinds  of 
seeds  and  may  examine  and  talk  about  them  as  has  been  in- 
dicated. The  play  and  the  story  may  be  used.  The  little 

1  Printed  by  permission  of  the  author  and  the  publisher,  Lothrop,  Lee  & 
Shepard  Company. 


74        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

baskets  may  be  made  at  the  close  of  the  hour  and  each 
child  may  carry  some  of  the  seeds  home  with  him.  Garden 
flower  seeds  may  be  used  instead  of  the  wild  flower  seeds  if 
desired. ) 


LESSON  VII 
CHANGES  THAT  SURPRISE 

AGAIN  the  material  is  suggestive  of  what  in  different  locali- 
ties will  be  seen  by  the  children  to  indicate  the  coming  of 
winter.  The  fact  that  God's  care  has  provided  for  this  winter 
preparation  is  not  beyond  the  child's  understanding  and 
arouses  his  wonder  and  love. 

Greeting: 

The  children  are  now  so  well  acquainted  that  they  will 
enjoy  greeting  each  other  with  a  handshake  when  they  come 
together  in  the  morning.  The  Good-morning  song  suggested 
in  the  first  topic  may  be  used  as  a  little  game.  While  the  first 
line,  "Good  morning  to  you,  children  dear,"  is  being  sung, 
any  little  child  who  wishes  to  say  good  morning  to  a  play- 
mate may  find  the  playmate.  They  shake  hands  and  bow.  This 
play  must  not  be  forced  in  a  prescribed  fashion,  but  allowed 
to  grow  through  suggestion  and  imitation.  Never  ask  a  child 
to  greet  another  unless  he  wants  to  do  so,  and  keep  the  spon- 
taneity of  the  greeting  through  the  form.  It  does  not  much 
matter  here  what  kind  of  a  bow  is  made  or  whether  left  or 
right  hands  are  joined  if  the  spirit  of  courtesy  and  good  will 
is  present. 

Conversation : 

Many  changes  are  taking  place  out  of  doors;  the  leaves 
brought  in  by  the  children  are  brown  and  some  of  them 
are  withered;  the  gay  colors  have  departed;  there  are  few 
flowers  in  the  gardens;  the  birds  are  flying  away.  The  chil- 

75 


76        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

dren  have  noticed  some  of  these  changes,  to  others  their  at- 
tention may  be  called  by  the  teacher.  "Why  do  the  leaves 
fall  and  the  birds  fly  away?"  she  may  ask  if  a  child  does 
not  propose  the  question  first.  The  children  have  noted  that 
it  is  getting  colder;  perhaps  there  have  been  already  a  few 
snowflakes  and  frost  has  been  evident  frequently.  "Winter 
is  coming,"  the  children  say,  and  these  changes,  they  come  to 
realize,  are  the  preparation. 

Song: 

Some  time  during  this  conversation  or  at  its  close,  the 
teacher  may  sing  to  them : 

"The  brown  leaves  are  falling, 

The  birds  will  soon  fly, 
The  shrill  winds  are  calling, 
'Dear  Summer,  good-by.'  " 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

After  the  song  has  been  sung  two  or  three  times  the  chil- 
dren join  with  the  teacher  in  the  singing.  They  may  re- 
peat the  words  once  without  the  music  to  be  sure  that  every 
child  has  the  correct  wording.  They  may  talk  a  little  about  the 
shrill  winds  and  perhaps  the  teacher  or  the  children  will  imitate 
the  sound  of  this  wind.  If  the  shrill  winds  are  blowing  out- 
side, all  become  very  still  and  listen  to  the  sound.  Whistling 
to  the  tune  gives  the  effect  of  the  wind  and  is  much  enjoyed 
by  the  little  boys  in  particular. 

Representative  play: 

After  the  singing  of  the  song,  the  children  may  wish  to 
play  that  they  are  the  brown  leaves  floating  through  the  air 
or  the  milkweed  down.  They  look  out  of  the  window  for  a 
few  minutes  and  watch  the  leaves  falling  through  the  air. 
If  the  milkweed  pods  are  still  in  the  room,  a  few  of  the  seeds 


CHANGES  THAT  SURPRISE  77 

may  be  allowed  to  float  over  the  room  and  out  of  the  win- 
dow. When  the  children  have  caught  the  feeling  of  this 
floating,  on  tiptoe  with  arms  lightly  extended  they  glide 
about  the  room.  The  pianist  may  use  as  instrumental  music 
"Floating  like  a  Feather,"  in  Rhythms  of  Childhood,  by  Caro- 
line Crawford. 

Story  in  review : 

After  the  activity  the  children  may  gather  in  a  group  about 
the  teacher  for  the  retelling  of  Maud  Lindsay's  story  of  "The 
Magic  Flower."  At  the  close  the  teacher  and  children  may 
talk  about  what  is  happening  to  the  flowers  in  the  garden, 
bringing  out  especially  the  provision  in  the  seeds  for  the  re- 
newed life  in  the  spring. 

Prayer : 

Such  a  prayer  as  the  following  one  may  be  used  at  this  time 
or  earlier  in  the  session :  "Dear  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank 
you  for  taking  care  of  the  birds  and  the  flowers  in  the  winter." 

Handwork: 

As  handwork  the  children  may  draw  freehand  a  picture  of 
the  leaves  falling  through  the  air,  of  the  bare  tree  dropping 
its  leaves,  of  the  birds  flying  away.  Any  representation  that 
they  wish  to  make  will  be  welcomed. 


LESSON  VIII 
CHANGES  THAT  SURPRISE  (CONTINUED) 

As  the  children  come  together  they  probably  will  volunteer 
more  information  concerning  the  coming  of  winter;  they  will 
have  noted  the  same  signs  and  perhaps  other  signs  of  its  com- 
ing. They  will  wish  to  sing  again : 

"The   brown   leaves   are    falling, 

The  birds  will  soon  fly, 
The  shrill  winds  are  calling, 
'Dear  Summer,  good-by.'  " 

Rhythmic  play: 

The  song  may  be  followed  by  a  representation  of  fly- 
ing birds  and  falling  leaves.  This  may  be  carried  out 
in  several  ways.  The  birds  may  fly  away  (the  children  dis- 
appearing in  the  hall  or  cloak  room).  The  leaves  floating 
through  the  air  may  be  represented  again  or  some  of  the 
children  may  be  floating  leaves  while  others  are  flying  birds. 
The  same  music  suggested  before  for  the  leaves  may  be  used 
and  "Birds  A-Flying"  or  "The  Wind's  Blowing  Us,"  from 
The  Rhythms  of  Childhood  by  Crawford. 

Walk: 

If  possible,  on  one  of  the  days  devoted  to  this  topic  the 
children  should  be  taken  for  a  walk  when  they  may  ob- 
serve the  changes.  If  they  see  a  flock  of  birds  high  over- 
head winging  their  way  southward,  the  wonder  of  it  is  some- 
thing that  they  will  never  forget.  If  the  walk  cannot  be 
arranged,  perhaps  the  windows  will  provide  some  desirable 

78 


CHANGES  THAT  SURPRISE  79 

observation  or  the  teacher  may  bring  in  pictures  showing  fly- 
ing birds,  the  leaves  fluttering  down,  and  the  bare  trees.  God's 
goodness  in  caring  for  the  plants  and  animals  through  the 
different  devices  for  safety  and  comfort  should  be  brought 
out  by  suggestion,  question,  and  direct  information. 

Prayer : 

All  will  be  glad  to  join  in  the  spirit  of  a  prayer:  "Dear 
heavenly  Father,  thou  art  good  to  us  and  to  everything  that 
thou  hast  made.  We  thank  thee." 

Story:  The  Wee  Nest. 

"The  Wee  Nest,"  in  The  Story  Garden,  by  Maud  Lindsay, 
may  be  told. 

Once  upon  a  time  two  little  birds  built  a  wee  little  nest  in 
a  pink  rose  tree. 

(And  a  little  boy  saw  them ;  but  he  did  not  tell, 
For  it  was  a  secret,  he  knew  very  well.) 

The  nest  was  round  and  cosy  and  soft;  and  when  it  was 
finished  the  mother-bird  put  eggs  in  it — the  prettiest  eggs ! 

(And  the  little  boy  peeped  in  the  nest  to  see, 
But  he  was  as  careful  as  he  could  be.) 

The  mother-bird  sat  on  the  nest  almost  all  the  time  to  keep 
the  eggs  safe  and  warm;  and  when  she  was  tired  the  father- 
bird  took  her  place. 

(And  the  little  boy  watched  them,  and  wondered  too 
What  would  become  of  those  eggs  of  blue.) 

Day  after  day  the  mother-bird  sat  on  the  nest ;  but  one  morn- 
ing she  flew  away  singing  her  sweetest  song.  The  father-bird 
sang  too,  for  something  wonderful  had  happened.  The  pretty 


8o        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

blue  eggs  were  broken,  but  in  their  place  were — what  do  you 
think?  Baby  birds,  cunning  and  weak  and  wee. 

(The  little  boy  counted  them,  one,  two,  three, 
Three  baby  birds  in  the  pink  rose  tree.) 

The  father-bird  and  the  mother-bird  were  busy  all  day  get- 
ting their  babies  something  to  eat. 

(And  the  little  boy  threw  them  some  crumbs  of  bread. 
"Perhaps  they'll  like  these  for  their  dinner,"  he  said.) 

The  little  birds  grew  very  fast.  It  was  not  long  before  they 
were  ready  to  learn  to  fly.  Mother-bird  and  father-bird  showed 
them  how  to  spread  their  wings,  and  hold  their  feet;  and  the 
little  birds  tried  to  do  just  as  they  were  told. 

(And  the  little  boy  laughed  to  see  them  try; 
They  were  so  funny,  and  fat  and  shy!) 

At  first  they  could  only  fly  from  the  rose  tree  to  the  ground ; 
but  soon  their  wings  grew  strong,  and  then  away  they  went 
over  the  rose  tree,  over  the  fence,  into  the  world. 

(And  the  little  boy  called  as  he  watched  them  fly, 
"Dear  little  birdies,  good-by,  good-by.")* 

After  the  telling  of  the  story  an  empty  bird's  nest  from  which 
the  birds  have  flown  may  be  examined.  Each  child  will  like 
to  put  his  hand  inside  the  nest  to  feel  the  form  and  the  soft- 
ness of  it.  The  wonder  aroused  by  the  story  and  the  touch 
of  the  real  nest  will  shine  in  the  eyes.  "The  Beyond  draws 
nearer  to  us  as  we  wonder." 

Handwork: 

A  small  piece  of  clay  placed  on  a  square  of  wrapping  or 
manila  paper  may  be  given  to  each  child.  The  children  can  put 

1  Printed  by  permission  of  the  author  and  the  publisher,  Lothrop,  Lee  & 
Shepard  Company. 


CHANGES  THAT  SURPRISE  81 

the  thumb  in  the  center  of  the  piece  and  press  out  a  little 
nest.  An  extra  piece  of  clay  may  be  given  so  that  the  chil- 
dren can  make  little  eggs  for  the  nest  if  they  wish.  In- 
stead of  a  clay  nest  crayons  and  manila  paper  may  be  sub- 
stituted and  a  tree  drawn  with  a  nest  in  its  branches.  The 
birds  flying  away  from  the  nest  in  the  tree  may  also  be  sug- 
gested in  the  picture. 

Verse: 

After  the  children  have  finished  the  clay  nest  or  the  draw- 
ing, the  teacher  may  call  them  to  her  or  she  may  let  the  assist- 
ant teachers  keep  them  at  the  tables  for  the  repetition  of 
the  following  verse  by  Christina  Rossetti.  The  verse  com- 
pletes the  experience  by  suggesting  the  return  of  the  birds 
in  the  spring;  it  alleviates  the  sadness  which  the  child  feels 
when  he  says  good-by.  The  children  may  wish  to  repeat  the 
verse  with  the  teacher. 

"Fly  away,   fly   away, 

Over  the  sea, 
Sun-loving  swallow, 

For  summer  is  done. 

"Come  again,  come  again, 

Come  back  to  me, 
Bringing  the  summer 

And  bringing  the  sun." 

The  following  additional  subject-matter  under  this  topic 
is  sketched  in  order  that  the  individual  teacher  may  have  sug- 
gestions for  using  any  good  material  at  hand.  Either  the 
caterpillar  or  squirrel  illustration  might  be  developed  more 
fully,  and  an  entire  period  spent  upon  it. 

Observation  and  conversation: 

On  one  of  the  excursions  the  teacher  and  the  children  may 


82        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

have  found  a  few  caterpillars  to  bring  back  to  the  room.  A 
place  for  them  is  easily  constructed  by  taking  a  large  cardboard 
box  and  cutting  windows  in  each  side  very  nearly  as  large  as 
the  side.  A  coarse  mosquito  netting  is  put  over  the  open- 
ings. If  twigs  are  fastened  in  the  box  and  the  leaves  upon 
which  the  caterpillar  feeds  placed  inside,  the  caterpillars  will 
thrive  and  will  spin  their  winter  nests  as  the  children  watch. 
Other  cocoons  may  be  brought  in  from  out  of  doors  so  that  the 
children  will  realize  that  the  same  process  is  going  on  there  in 
preparation  for  the  winter. 

Verse: 

As  the  children  watch  the  caterpillars  this  verse  by  Christina 
Rossetti  may  be  repeated  for  them : 

"Brown  and  furry, 
Caterpillar  in  a  hurry, 
Take  your  walk 
To  the  shady  leaf  or  stalk. 

"May  no  toad  spy  you, 
May  the  little  birds  pass  by  you, 
Spin  and  die 
To  live  again  a  butterfly." 

The  mystery  of  this  living  again  as  a  butterfly  need  not 
be  fully  explained;  it  will  be  one  of  spring's  most  wonderful 
surprises. 

Further  observation  and  conversation: 

Many  of  the  children  have  pets  at  home,  and  the  teacher  may 
lead  them  to  note  how  much  thicker  the  coats  of  these  pets  are 
becoming.  They  may  then  discuss  with  each  other  the  length 
and  thickness  of  Pussy's  and  Rover's  furry  coats,  of  the  rab- 
bit's and  guinea  pig's  hair.  If  the  children  have  horses  and 
cows,  they  have  other  good  illustrations.  Perhaps  there  are 


CHANGES  THAT  SURPRISE  83 

squirrels  in  the  woods  or  parks  near  at  hand  or  even  in  the  trees 
outside  the  school.  Their  bushy  tails  will  be  noted  and  their 
busy  storing  of  nuts  in  the  holes  in  the  trees  or  underneath 
the  trees  in  the  ground. 

Picture  Study: 

"Little  Freehold,"  by  Carter,  is  an  interesting  picture  to 
study  in  connection  with  the  squirrels.  The  children  will  have 
many  experiences  of  their  own  to  contribute  here  too.  Their 
part  in  feeding  the  squirrels  as  well  as  God's  part  in  providing 
the  nuts  and  a  shelter  for  these  little  creatures,  may  be  particu- 
larly dwelt  upon  by  the  teacher. 

Song  and  Prayer : 

The  children  may  pray:  "Dear  heavenly  Father,  we  thank 
thee  for  caring  for  the  squirrels.  May  we  help  thee  to  care 
for  them." 

Handwork : 

The  teacher  and  children  may  talk  about  feeding  the  squir- 
rels. They  may  suggest  going  to  the  grocery  for  nuts.  The 
teacher  asks  what  each  one  needs  in  order  to  carry  his 
nuts  to  the  squirrels.  Baskets  like  those  used  for  gathering  the 
seeds  may  be  made,  this  time  with  very  little  suggestion  from 
the  teacher  if  the  children  are  given  the  squares  of  paper  9  by 
9  inches. 

Walk: 

When  the  baskets  are  finished  the  walk  may  be  taken  to 
the  store,  the  nuts  purchased  by  the  children,  and  the  squir- 
rels visited  and  fed.  If  it  is  not  practicable  to  go  to  the 
grocery  store,  the  teacher  may  bring  the  nuts  and  give  to  the 
children;  or  the  children  may  take  the  baskets  home  and  fill 
them  there,  individually  visiting  the  squirrels  later.  If  the 


84        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

walk  is  not  taken  by  the  group,  the  children  may  wish  to 
dramatize  the  feeding  in  the  room.  Some  may  be  squirrels 
while  the  rest  visit  them  and  feed  them  from  their  baskets,  the 
little  squirrels  hopping  about  on  the  ground  and  playing  "pick 
up  nuts." 

Song:  The  Squirrel.    (Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

"With  bushy  tail  and  shining  eyes 

He  leaps  from  tree  to  tree. 
I  bring  him  peanuts  for  a  surprise, 
And  then  he  leaps  to  me." 


LESSON  IX 
THE  BULBS  ARE  PLANTED 

THIS  lesson  suggests  nature's  part  in  producing  more  leaves 
and  flowers  again,  and  the  child's  part  in  cooperating  with  God 
in  the  making  of  more  beauty.  The  Bulb  Planting  may  be  a 
festival  about  the  time  of  the  familiar  one  of  Halloween. 

Conversation  and  song : 

As  the  weather  grows  colder  there  may  be  frost  in  the  morn- 
ing and  the  children  come  in  with  rosy  cheeks  and  tingling 
fingers.  They  speak  of  the  cold  and  of  sliding  on  the  frost,  of 
finding  ice  on  the  pond  and  pictures  on  the  window  panes. 
They  are  filled  with  the  joy  of  the  winter  time  that  is  coming. 
At  the  climax  of  this  expression  the  following  song  may  be 
sung: 

"Very  cold  it  was  last  night ; 
Window  panes  are  coated  white; 
Hoary  frost  lies  all  around 
On  the  fences  and  the  ground. 
Ice  has  covered  pond  and  stream, 
And  my  breath  is  turned  to  steam." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

Then  the  teacher  may  ask  what  has  happened  to  the  seeds, 
and  the  children  find  that  they  are  covered  by  the  brown 
leaves  and  by  the  frost.  The  brown  leaves,  however,  keep 
them  warm.  The  teacher  may  bring  to  the  children  the  branch 
of  a  tree,  letting  them  discover  the  little  knobs  which  are  the 
leaf  buds.  They  note  how  carefully  these  are  protected 
from  the  frost  and  the  cold  of  the  winter.  The  teacher  may 

85 


86        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

suggest  the  planting  of  bulbs  in  the  garden  to  make  it  beauti- 
ful in  the  spring  when  the  wild  flowers  come  up  and  the 
leaves  come  again  on  the  trees.  If  a  florist  shop  is  near,  teacher 
and  children  may  walk  over  and  purchase  their  bulbs.  The 
children  will  be  greatly  interested  in  the  brown  house  in  which 
the  little  plants  are  sleeping. 

The  planting: 

If  the  school  has  a  garden,  the  children  plant  there 
preferably.  They  may  dig  the  bed  with  small  spades,  put 
the  bulbs  in  at  the  right  depth  and  cover  them  over  with  earth. 
They  may  carry  or  rake  leaves  over  the  earth  so  that 
their  bulbs  will  be  even  better  protected  than  the  wild-flower 
seeds.  If  the  planting  out  of  doors  cannot  be  managed,  pots 
of  dirt  can  be  provided,  the  bulbs  planted  in  these,  covered 
with  earth  and  with  straw  and  put  in  a  cool,  dark  place  for 
from  three  to  six  weeks.  When  brought  out  they  should  be 
put  in  the  sunny  windows  and  watered  well.  They  will  bloom 
during  the  winter  and  in  the  early  spring,  to  the  great  joy 
of  the  children.  The  children  will  watch  for  the  first  green 
shoot  and  will  note  every  step  in  the  growing  process.  When 
the  planting  has  been  done,  they  may  come  together  and  talk 
over  their  anticipations  concerning  the  garden  and  the  bloom- 
ing of  their  bulbs.  They  may  ask  God  to  help  them  care  for 
the  bulbs  and  thank  him  for  the  sunshine  and  the  rain. 

Review  in  story,  verse  and  song : 

The  teacher  may  ask  the  children  to  choose  one  of  the  stories 
for  retelling.  Perhaps  they  will  choose  "The  Magic  Flower,"  or 
"The  Wee  Nest."  The  verses  about  the  caterpillar  and  the 
swallow  may  be  repeated  and  the  song  of  the  Brown  Leaves 
may  be  sung.  Perhaps  there  will  be  time  for  a  dramatization 
of  some  of  these  activities,  such  as  the  flight  of  the  birds  south, 
the  falling  of  the  leaves,  the  going  to  sleep  of  the  flowers. 


THE  BULBS  ARE  PLANTED  87 

Children  like  to  play  that  they  are  'seeds  asleep  under  the 
leaves,  then  later  to  awaken  when  the  spring  rain  and  sun- 
shine are  announced.  They  curl  up  in  quiet  little  balls  on  the 
floor,  slowly  unfolding  and  stretching  up  toward  the  sun. 

Song :  Seeds  Fall.    ( Songs  for  the  Little  Child. ) 

"Little  seeds  fall  to  the  ground, 

Soft  earth  covers  them  from  view, 
Snowflakes  form  the  counterpane — 
So  they  sleep  the  winter  through." 


LESSON  X 
THE  GIFT  OF  THE  HARVEST 

THE  fruits  and  vegetables  are  familiar  to  every  child.  The 
child  in  the  city  sees  them  in  the  groceries  and  on  the  carts; 
the  child  in  the  country,  on  the  trees  and  in  the  garden.  If 
possible  all  the  children  should  have  the  opportunity  to  see 
a  garden  at  least.  Fruits,  vegetables  and  nuts  may  be  brought 
to  the  class  and  pictures  and  drawing  may  be  used  to  illustrate. 
A  little  of  the  process  of  growth  may  be  explained  and  God's 
part  in  the  giving  of  sun  and  rain  made  clear. 

Song  and  rhythm : 

If  the  morning  is  cold  and  frosty,  the  teacher  and  children 
may  comment  upon  the  frost,  the  coated  window  panes,  the 
ice  on  pond  and  stream.  They  will  enjoy  singing  again  the 
Frost  Song  introduced  at  the  last  period.  Perhaps  the  chil- 
dren will  want  to  show  how  they  slide  upon  the  frosty  walks. 
Appropriate  music  (a  slow  three-fourths  rhythm  well  ac- 
cented) may  be  used  as  an  accompaniment  to  this  activity; 
the  movement  is  a  gliding  one.  The  mood  of  the  chil- 
dren may  call  for  a  different  type  of  rhythm ;  happy  as  a  re- 
sult of  the  fall  sunshine  and  crisp  air  they  may  delight  in  a 
quick,  light  skip.  "A  Clear  Frosty  Morning!  Here  We  Go!" 
from  The  Rhythms  of  Childhood,  by  Caroline  Crawford, 
may  be  used. 

Conversation : 

After  the  rhythmic  expression,  the  conversation  may  be 
continued.  The  children  may  recall  the  planting  of  their 


THE  GIFT  OF  THE  HARVEST  89 

bulbs,  and  the  various  preparations  for  the  winter  which 
they  have  been  observing.  Perhaps  some  child  may  tell 
about  the  bringing  in  of  fruit  and  vegetables  from  the 
garden  and  the  orchard,  or  about  the  barrel  of  apples  or  box 
of  pears  that  the  family  have  received  from  the  country. 
If  the  information  does  not  come  spontaneously  from  the 
children,  the  teacher  may  tell  some  experience  of  her  own 
or  may  ask  questions  which  will  elicit  the  information  about 
this  further  fall  preparation.  The  teacher  may  propose  a 
walk  to  a  garden,  an  excursion  to  an  orchard  if  such  can  be 
reached,  or  failing  either  one  of  these  possibilities,  a  visit  to 
the  grocery  store. 

Excursion: 

With  two  or  three  baskets,  a  little  cart  or  wagon  the  happy 
group  starts  to  the  garden  or  the  orchard.  They  will  prob- 
ably want  to  skip  or  run  from  time  to  time  on  this  crisp 
morning  and  part  of  the  joy  of  the  excursion  will  be  the 
anticipation  in  the  going.  When  the  garden  is  reached  (the 
teacher  ought  always  to  visit  the  place  previous  to  taking  the 
children  there,  making  arrangements  with  the  owner  about 
what  she  wishes  to  do),  the  children  may  first  visit  every  nook 
and  corner,  finding  for  themselves  the  different  vegetables  and 
fruits.  If  the  process  of  gathering  and  storing  is  going  on  or 
has  been  completed,  the  children  may  observe  how  the  fruits 
and  vegetables  have  been  packed  and  stored.  They  may  talk 
with  the  gardener  and  the  teacher  about  the  growth  and  also 
the  necessity  of  gathering  before  the  cold  of  the  winter.  They 
may  then  purchase  from  the  gardener  some  vegetables  for  their 
pets  and  some  fruit  for  themselves  and  their  fathers  and 
mothers. 

Return  to  school: 

The  return  will  be  at  a  slower  pace;  the  baskets  and  the  little 


90        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

wagon  are  full  and  the  children  take  turns  in  carrying  or 
hauling.  As  they  walk  along  together,  they  will  like  to  say 
over  their  fall  verses  and  this  new  one  may  be  given  if  ap- 
propriate. 

"The  goldenrod  is  yellow, 

The  corn  is  turning  brown, 
The  trees  in  apple  orchard 
With  fruit  are  bending  down." 

Conversation  and  prayer: 

When  the  school  is  reached,  the  teacher  and  children  di- 
vide the  fruit  and  vegetables — perhaps  keeping  some  for  the 
school  pets,  if  there  are  any,  and  for  a  fruit  party  the  next 
time  they  come  together.  The  prayer  at  dismissal  may  thank 
God  for  the  good  time  of  the  morning  and  for  the  fruit  and 
vegetables  for  the  winter. 


LESSON  XI 
THE  GIFT  OF  THE  HARVEST  (CONTINUED) 

Conversation  pictures : 

As  the  children  gather  about  the  teacher  she  may  recall  their 
excursion  by  pictures  of  fruit  and  vegetables.  The  pictures 
may  show  the  garden  or  orchard  earlier  in  the  year,  at  blossom 
time  or  in  the  late. summer.  The  children  will  enjoy  the  song 
of  "The  Orchard" : 

"If  you  go  out  to  the  orchard, 

You  will  find  the  blossoms  fair. 

Some  are  pink  and  some  are  pearly, 

And  their  fragrance  fills  the  air. 

"If  you  go  out  to  the  orchard, 

You  will  find  the  apples  sweet. 
Some  are  red  and  some  are  yellow, 
All  are  very  good  to  eat." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

The  children  will  remember  their  own  garden  experiences 
and  will  tell  about  the  planting,  the  watering,  and  the  weeding. 
The  teacher  may  ask  what  the  plants  need  most  in  order  to 
grow  and  produce  the  fruit  and  vegetables.  Some  of  the  chil- 
dren will  know  the  necessity  of  rain  and  sunshine. 

Prayer: 

Not  only  the  gardener's  or  farmer's  part  in  the  harvest  but 
God's  part  in  the  giving  of  rain  and  sunshine  should  be  stressed. 
The  children  will  gladly  join  in  the  prayer:  "We  thank  you, 
dear  heavenly  Father,  for  the  harvest." 

91 


92         THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

Story:  Farmer  Brown  and  the  Apples. 

After  a  brisk  march  to  the  garden  (make  believe)  and  back 
again  the  children  may  gather  for  a  story : 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  good  old  farmer  who  had  a 
wonderful  apple  orchard.  Every  fall  he  gave  a  basket  of 
apples  to  each  poor  woman  in  the  village,  and  he  was  always 
passing  apples  over  the  fence  to  the  children  as  they  went  to 
and  fro  to  school.  When  he  walked  in  the  village  his  pockets 
were  bulging  with  apples  which  he  doled  out  to  hungry  boys, 
to  bright-eyed  little  girls,  and  even  to  the  old  men  who  sat 
in  the  sunshine  reading  their  newspapers. 

One  fall  Farmer  Brown,  for  that  was  the  name  of  the  owner 
of  the  apple  orchard,  had  the  rheumatism  so  that  he  could  not 
gather  his  apples  or  store  them  in  the  cellar.  He  was  very 
much  worried  because  he  was  afraid  that  a  heavy  frost  would 
come  some  night  and  spoil  the  apple  crop. 

"Mirandy,"  he  said  to  his  good  wife,  "I  don't  know  what 
we'll  do  without  any  apples  to  eat  in  the  long  winter  evenings 
and  I'm  sure  the  children  will  miss  them  too." 

"Don't  worry,"  his  wife  would  say.  "Perhaps  it  won't  frost 
till  you're  able  to  be  about." 

Now,  there  were  some  boys  in  the  village  who  had  been  eat- 
ing Farmer  Brown's  apples  ever  since  they  could  toddle.  They 
had  missed  the  old  man  since  he  had  had  the  rheumatism  and 
they  knew  that  he  could  not  get  his  apples  in  before  frost.  They 
planned  a  little  surprise  for  him  and  his  good  wife  Mirandy. 
One  night  when  the  two  were  fast  asleep,  the  boys  came  to  the 
orchard,  carefully  picked  the  apples  until  there  was  not  one 
red  or  yellow  beauty  left  anywhere,  packed  them  in  barrels 
and  rolled  the  barrels  to  Farmer  Brown's  cellar.  All  this  was 
done  so  quickly  and  so  quietly  that  not  even  the  mice  in  the 
cellar  knew  nor  the  old  horse  in  the  meadow. 

When  Farmer  Brown  woke  in  the  morning  a  heavy  frost 


THE  GIFT  OF  THE  HARVEST  93 

lay  on  roof  and  fence  and  garden.  "O,  Mirandy,"  groaned 
Farmer  Brown,  "our  apples  are  frost  bitten  sure  as  I'm 
standin'  here!"  And  without  waiting  for  a  reply  Farmer 
Brown  hobbled  out  to  the  orchard,  but  never  an  apple  could  he 
find  anywhere.  After  looking  all  about  he  walked  slowly 
back  to  the  house  with  a  dazed  look  on  his  face.  Suddenly  his 
eye  lighted  on  the  open  cellar  door. 

"I  remember  closin'  that  door  the  last  thing  before  I  went 
in  the  house  for  supper,"  said  he  aloud.  "May  be  whoever 
took  our  apples  helped  themselves  to  barrels."  He  went  down 
the  cellar  steps  and  the  moment  he  stood  inside  the  door 
he  saw  the  barrels  of  apples,  red  and  yellow  beauties,  a  full 
dozen  of  them. 

"Mirandy,"  he  called  i-n  a  trembling  voice,  "come  here  quick ! 
Who  do  you  suppose  has  been  in  our  apple  orchard  and  fixed 
up  this  surprise?" 

"I'm  sure  I  couldn't  guess,"  said  Mirandy,  as  she  wiped 
away  the  tears,  "but  whoever  they  be,  God  bless  them.  It 
might  have  been  some  of  them  lively  boys  that  you're  always 
feedin'  apples  to.  There's  no  tellin'." 

Song: 

The  children  may  join  in  singing  the  song  of  The  Orchard. 

Handwork : 

They  will  enjoy  drawing  apples  and  other  fruits,  or,  if  ac- 
customed to  using  paints,  painting  them.  Crayons  and  manila 
paper  should  be  used  for  the  drawing,  and  painting  paper  and 
paints  for  the  painting.  Apples  and  other  fruits  may  be  brought 
into  the  room  where  the  children  are  working  so  that  they  can 
look  at  them  to  get  clearer  impressions  of  form  and  color. 


LESSON  XII 
HOME  ACTIVITIES 

ALONG  with  the  changes  out  of  doors  there  are  changes  in- 
side to  correspond,  and  the  little  child  is  a  part  of  these  and 
very  much  interested  in  them.  He  likes  to  tell  what  is  going 
on  at  home  and  the  teacher  helps  him  to  appreciate  better 
father's  and  mother's  part.  The  child  loves  them  more  for 
the  benefits  received  and  God  more  for  giving  him  a  father 
and  mother. 

Song: 

After  the  children  have  greeted  one  another  they  may 
sing  any  of  the  songs  which  they  have  learned.  A  song 
period  is  enjoyed  either  at  the  beginning  or  end  of  the  morn- 
ing and  should  occur  frequently;  in  fact,  the  children  should 
have  some  opportunity  to  sing  during  each  class  period  in 
order  that  the  song  may  become  a  permanent  possession  of  the 
child.  Little  children  enjoy  the  old  songs  with  which  they  are 
familiar  even  more  than  the  new  ones.  Certain  songs  may  be 
dramatized  while  others  lend  themselves  to  a  rhythmic  re- 
sponse in  clapping,  tapping,  or  humming.  Sometimes  the  pian- 
ist may  play  a  few  notes  in  order  that  the  children  may  guess 
the  name  of  the  song.  If  the  children  or  the  pianist  do  not 
ask  for  "The  Orchard,"  the  teacher  may  suggest  it.  The 
song  may  recall  the  story  of  "Farmer  Brown"  which  the 
teacher  and  children  can  tell  again  together.  (Story  and 
song  given  in  Topic  VI,  Lesson  II.) 

Conversation : 

The  teacher  may  ask  the  children,  if  they  do  not  volunteer 
94 


HOME  ACTIVITIES  95 

the  information,  how  many  of  them  have  barrels  or  boxes 
of  fruit  stored  away  in  the  basement  or  pantry  for  the  winter. 
This  may  lead  to  a  talk  about  what  mother  has  been  doing 
to  get  ready  for  the  winter,  particularly  the  canning  of  fruit 
and  the  making  of  jelly  and  jam.  The  children  may  tell  just 
how  this  is  done;  perhaps  some  of  them  have  been  allowed 
to  help  a  little  in  taking  the  fruit  out  of  the  barrel,  washing 
it  and  taking  it  off  the  stems.  Other  fall  preparations  may 
have  been  noted  too,  such  as  the  storing  of  the  winter's  supply 
of  coal,  putting  up  the  storm  windows  and  bringing  out  more 
blankets  for  the  beds. 

Excursion : 

If  the  teacher  knows  some  one  of  the  mothers  well  enough 
to  ask  for  an  invitation,  it  would  mean  a  great  deal  to  the 
children  to  call  at  one  of  the  homes,  see  the  coal  in  the 
cellar,  the  storm  windows,  and  the  supply  of  canned  fruit. 
Even  more  interesting  would  the  experience  be  if  the  mother 
were  making  jelly  or  jam  and  a  few  children  at  a  time  might 
watch  the  process.  If  it  is  not  practicable  to  visit  a  home, 
a  trip  to  the  school  basement  may  be  made  and  perhaps  to 
the  domestic  science  kitchen,  where  the  children  may  watch 
the  older  girls  canning  fruit.  In  any  case  a  glass  of  jelly 
may  be  secured  (bought  by  the  children's  pennies  if  that  seems 
the  best  way). 

Handwork : 

After  the  return  to  the  room  the  children  and  the  teacher 
may  plan  a  little  party  of  crackers  and  jelly.  They  may 
make  doilies  for  each  one  at  the  table.  Squares  of  manila 
paper  6  by  6  inches  and  scissors  are  given  to  the  children. 
They  then  proceed  to  fringe  by  making  narrow  cuts 
about  three-fourths  to  one  inch  wide  all  around  the  edge. 
After  the  fringing  if  there  is  time,  they  may  have  the  crayons 


96        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

and  draw  a  picture  of  one  or  more  kinds  of   fruit  on  the 
doily. 

The  Party: 

As  soon  as  the  work  is  finished  a  few  children  may  be 
chosen  to  place  the  doilies  on  the  table.  The  children  may 
take  their  seats  and  one  or  two  may  help  the  teachers  pass 
the  crackers,  each  one  with  a  small  amount  of  jelly  on  it.  The 
children  should  be  cautioned  before  the  party  begins  so  that 
they  will  remember  to  say  "Thank  you"  and  to  wait  until  all 
are  served  and  grace  is  said  before  beginning  the  meal.  This 
little  training  in  courtesy  and  self-control  is  valuable  to  all, 
but  especially  to  those  who  lack  home  instruction.  When 
everyone  has  been  served,  the  teacher  may  speak  of  God's 
goodness  in  providing  the  food  and  may  repeat  very  slowly 
the  little  grace,  asking  that  heads  be  bowed  and  hands  folded : 

"God  is  great, 

God  is  good, 

Let  us  thank  him 

For  our  food. 

(If  too  much  is  suggested  here  for  the  time  allowed  on  one 
day,  the  material  may  be  divided  and  used  for  two  days.  The 
excursion  may  be  taken  on  one  occasion  and  the  party  may 
be  held  on  the  succeeding  day. ) 


LESSON  XIII 
HOME  ACTIVITIES  (CONTINUED) 

Song  and  conversation: 

If  the  morning  is  a  frosty  one,  the  children  will  come  in 
with  tightly  buttoned  coats,  caps  and  mittens;  in  fact,  every 
day  new  winter  garments  are  appearing.  The  teacher  always 
notices  these  as  the  children  enter,  for  they  are  very  proud  of 
them  and  want  her  to  share  their  pleasure.  After  the  chil- 
dren have  gathered  they  may  want  to  sing  the  "Frost  Song," 
and  the  activity  of  sliding  may  be  used  again. 

The  teacher  comments  on  the  new  winter  suits,  dresses, 
shoes,  or  stockings  that  she  sees.  Every  child  will  want  to 
display  what  he  has  and  each  one  may  be  given  a  turn  to  show 
and  to  tell,  going  to  the  cloak  room  for  his  new  coat,  cap,  or 
mittens  if  he  wishes.  As  the  children  are  showing  their 
clothing,  the  teacher  may  question  where  the  new  gar- 
ments came  from,  how  they  were  made,  who  gave  the  money 
to  buy  them.  In  response  the  children  will  tell  that  mother 
made  them  or  that  they  were  bought  at  the  store.  Some  will 
know  that  money  was  spent  and  that  father  gave  the  money  to 
mother.  They  all  know  that  they  must  have  the  warmer 
clothing  because  winter  is  coming.  They  may  feel  the  differ- 
ence between  wool  and  cotton  through  touching  cotton  dresses 
and  then  woolen  coats.  The  feel  of  the  cloth  will  help  them  to 
appreciate  the  greater  warmth  of  the  latter. 

Dramatization: 

If  the  children  are  well  enough  acquainted  (they  probably 
will  be  by  this  time)  to  take  part  spontaneously  in  a  drama- 

97 


98        THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

tization,  they  may  play  house  for  a  little  while.  There  can  be 
several  families  or  one  or  two,  according  to  the  number  of 
children,  and  there  may  be  a  clothing  store  with  a  storekeeper 
in  charge.  To  make  the  play  more  realistic  some  of  the  caps, 
coats,  and  mittens  may  be  transferred  from  the  cloakroom  to 
the  store.  The  various  mothers  and  fathers  may  take  their 
children  to  the  store  and  buy  for  them  the  winter  clothes. 
There  will  be  much  bargaining  and  fitting  and  altogether  a 
great  deal  of  fun.  The  children  will  feel  even  more  keenly 
father's  and  mother's  part  in  making  them  happy  and  com- 
fortable. 

Story:  The  Baby  Samuel 

After  the  dramatization  the  children  may  be  told  the  story 
of  the  infant  Samuel  which  beautifully  reveals  a  mother's  love 
and  care. 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  woman  by  name  Hannah  who 
had  everything  to  make  her  happy  except  a  little  child.  She 
wanted  a  baby  of  her  own  so  much  that  often  she  wept.  Her 
husband  Elkanah  would  find  her  crying  and  he  would  say : 
"Hannah,  why  weepest  thou?  Am  I  not  better  to  thee  than 
ten  sons?"  But  Elkanah  could  not  comfort  Hannah. 

One  day  when  Hannah  was  in  the  church  she  prayed  to  God 
to  send  her  a  little  baby  boy,  and  she  said,  "Lord,  if  thou  wilt 
remember  me  and  will  give  unto  me  a  child,  I  will  give  him 
unto  thee  all  the  days  of  his  life."  God  heard  Hannah's  prayer 
and  he  sent  her  the  baby  boy. 

Then,  indeed,  was  Hannah  happy,  and  she  wept  no  more, 
but  smiled  and  sang  all  day  long.  Hannah  called  the  baby 
Samuel.  When  he  woke  in  the  morning  she  fed  him ;  when  he 
slept  she  covered  him  carefully ;  she  bathed  him  and  played  with 
him,  and  when  he  was  hurt  she  kissed  him  and  comforted  him. 

Samuel  grew  taller  and  stronger  every  day.   By  and  by  he 


SING,   LITTLE   CHILDREN,    SING   EVERYWHERE" 


HOME  ACTIVITIES  99 

was  a  big  boy.  Then  his  mother  remembered  her  promise  to 
God,  and  she  took  him  to  the  church  and  left  him  there  to  help 
Eli  keep  God's  house  beautiful.  Hannah  said:  "For  this  child 
I  prayed ;  and  the  Lord  hath  given  him  to  me.  Therefore  also  I 
have  lent  him  to  the  Lord  as  long  as  he  liveth." 

While  Samuel  was  at  the  church  his  mother  was  thinking 
of  him.  Every  year  she  made  him  a  little  coat,  and  she  went 
with  Elkanah,  her  husband,  to  the  church  and  gave  it  to  Sam- 
uel. Samuel  liked  the  coat  that  his  mother  brought  him  and 
he  loved  Hannah,  his  mother. 

Picture : 

The  picture  of  Hannah  and  Samuel  may  be  shown  or  "The 
Infant  Samuel,"  by  Reynolds.  The  children  may  pray :  "Dear 
God,  thank  you  for  mother  and  father  and  for  everything 
they  do  for  us." 

Song:  Praise  Him.   (Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

"For  rain  and  sunshine  and  flowers  bright  and  fair, 

Father  and  mother  who  give  us  loving  care — 
Praise  him,  praise  him,  praise  him,  our  God, 
Sing,  little  children,  O  sing  everywhere." 

Handwork : 

If  every  child  had  a  doll,  it  would  be  fun  to  make  coats 
or  dresses  for  them  very  crudely  out  of  cloth,  using  large 
needles  and  coarse  thread.  In  lieu  of  this  each  one  may  be 
given  a  paper  doll  cut  by  the  teacher,  and  he  may  make  a  little 
garment  for  it.  A  circle  may  be  folded  twice  by  the  children, 
a  line  drawn  indicating  the  sleeve  and  side  of  the  skirt  by  the 
teacher  and  the  children  may  cut  on  the  line.  Another  line 
may  indicate  the  cutting  for  the  neck.  This  can  be  slipped 
over  the  paper  doll's  head  and  will  make  an  attractive  dress. 
The  dolls  may  be  played  with  and  taken  home.  This  experi- 


ioo       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

ence  gives  the  child  again  a  keener  realization  of  mother's 
and  father's  care  for  him. 


DOLL'S  COAT 
7x7  inches 


LESSON  XIV 
WHAT  A  CHILD  CAN  DO  TO  HELP 

EVEN  the  little  child  likes  to  help,  especially  when  he  is  in  the 
loving  mood.  Such  help  should  be  welcomed  and  encouraged. 
The  suggestions  from  the  teacher  are  often  acted  upon  later. 
Doing  these  little  things  in  the  home  and  for  his  pets  is  the 
small  beginning  of  real  service. 

Picture  study: 

Pictures  may  be  brought  by  the  teacher  showing  the  mother 
at  work  in  the  home  and  the  child  helping  both  outside  and 
inside.  These  pictures  will  suggest  such  comments  as,  "I  wipe 
the  dishes,"  "Mother  let  me  set  the  table,"  "I  went  to  the 
grocery  for  some  sugar,"  "The  baby  kept  throwing  his  toys 
for  me  to  pick  up."  The  teacher  can  show  the  children  how 
much  they  can  help  mother  by  doing  these  things  when  she 
is  busy  with  the  cooking  and  the  sewing  for  them. 

Dramatization: 

The  teacher  and  the  children  may  play  a  little  game  of 
helping  which  the  children  will  greatly  enjoy.  The  teacher 
may  represent  the  mother  whose  children  are  playing;  she 
calls  first  one  and  then  another.  When  the  child  conies  the 
mother  gives  him  some  errand  to  do  for  her  such  as  getting 
her  a  pair  of  scissors,  putting  away  the  paste,  giving  the 
flowers  more  water,  or  taking  the  doll  who  represents  the  baby 
for  an  airing.  It  will  make  the  game  more  fun  if  sometimes 
the  mother  whispers  her  wishes ;  she  watches  to  see  what  child 
will  do  his  errand  best.  The  mother  never  fails  to  thank  her 

101 


102       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

children  and  to  praise  them  for  work  well  done.  This  game 
is  play,  but  nevertheless  it  sets  a  standard  for  prompt  obedience, 
ready  helpfulness,  and  careful  performance. 

Story  time: 

The  story  of  the  infant  Samuel  may  be  retold  and  the  pic- 
ture used  again.  Perhaps  the  story  will  remind  the  children 
of  the  baby  Moses  and  one  or  more  will  tell  that  story.  A 
lullaby  may  be  sung.  Then  the  children  may  thank  God  for 
mothers  and  fathers  and  ask  him  to  make  them  good  helpers 
at  home. 

Handwork: 

If  there  is  time,  a  small  picture  of  "The  Infant  Samuel" 
may  be  given  to  each  child.  The  children  may  paste  these  on 
cards  to  take  home. 


LESSON  XV 
WHAT  A  CHILD  CAN  DO  TO  HELP  (CONTINUED) 

THE  greeting  song,  "Good  Morning,"  may  include  a  further 
step  when  the  children  are  ready  for  it.  The  two  who  bow 
and  shake  hands  may  skip  about  the  room  together  while  the 
music  of  the  song  is  repeated  as  a  little  dance  refrain. 

Conversation: 

The  new  winter  garments  which  are  appearing  on  some  of 
the  children  almost  every  day  will  introduce  again  the  topic 
of  winter  preparation  in  the  home.  The  children  will  re- 
member the  talk  of  the  last  lesson  and  will  volunteer  more 
about  the  ways  in  which  they  have  been  helping  at  home. 
If  they  do  not,  the  teacher  may  ask  a  question  which  will 
bring  forth  a  further  response  along  this  line.  She  is  trying 
to  get  a  habit  of  helpfulness  started  in  the  home,  and  the 
standard  set  by  her  as  well  as  her  appreciation  will  have  its 
effect  upon  the  children.  If  the  children  want  to  play  the 
game  of  errand,  used  at  the  last  period,  it  should,  of  course, 
be  revived. 

Game: 

Another  game  which  the  children  will  much  enjoy  is  an 
old  singing  game  in  which  the  child  in  the  center  of  the  ring 
takes  the  part  of  one  of  the  members  of  the  family,  imitating 
an  activity  that  he  has  seen  carried  on.  The  other  children 
follow  him  after  he  has  imitated  the  activity.  The  words 
are: 

103 


104       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

"Did  you  ever  see  a  lassie,  a  lassie,  a  lassie, 
Did  you  ever  see  a  lassie  do  this  way  and  that? 
Do  this  way  and  that  way,  do  this  way  and  that  way, 
Did  you  ever  see  a  lassie  do  this  way  and  that?" 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

"Laddie,"  "mother,"  or  "father"  may  be  substituted  for  the 
word  "lassie"  and  the  characteristic  activity  shown.  The  mo- 
tion for  mother  sweeping  the  floor,  stirring  the  cake,  dusting 
the  furniture  may  be  imitated,  while  father  may  be  reading 
the  paper,  driving  a  nail,  or  starting  the  automobile.  This 
little  game  gives  the  necessary  physical  relaxation  and  it  also 
makes  the  child  realize  more  clearly  father's  and  mother's 
part  in  the  home. 

Story:  Take  Good  Care  of  Mother. 

If  a  story  is  wanted,  the  following  real  incident  may  be 
used: 

One  day  a  father,  a  mother,  and  a  little  girl  of  five  were 
riding  downtown  together  on  the  street  car.  The  father  held 
a  big  box  on  his  knee  and  the  three  were  talking  together. 
Whenever  they  passed  anything  that  the  father  thought  the 
little  girl  would  like  to  see,  he  would  say,  "Look  quick,  Mar- 
jorie ;  see  that  nice  garden,"  or,  "There's  one  of  the  new  auto 
buses.  How  would  you  like  to  ride  on  the  top  of  that?"  or, 
"We  are  coming  to  the  river.  Maybe  you  will  see  a  boat." 

By  and  by  the  street  cars  came  to  the  part  of  the  city  where 
there  were  many  high  buildings,  a  great  deal  of  noise,  and 
crowds  of  people  walking  very  fast. 

Then  father  said :  "Mother,  I  wish  I  could  go  with  you,  but 
I  have  to  be  at  my  office  this  morning,  you  know.  I  don't  quite 
see  how  you  will  get  through  the  crowd  with  your  suitcase 
and  this  big  box." 

Then  Marjorie  spoke,  "I  can  carry  the  box,  father." 


WHAT  A  CHILD  CAN  DO  TO  HELP          105 

"Well,  well,"  said  father,  "I  believe  you  can.  Here  it  is!" 
.  Just  then  the  conductor  called  father's  street,  father  kissed 
mother  and  Marjorie,  and  he  said  to  Marjorie,  "Remember! 
Take  good  care  of  mother!"  And  Marjorie  did. 

Song: 

The  incident  about  Marjorie  will  bring  forth  confidences 
about  the  fathers  who  go  to  work  every  day,  where  they  go 
and  what  they  do.  The  following  song  may  be  sung : 

''When  my  father  goes  away, 

Says  he,  'Little  brother, 
You  must  fill  my  place  to-day, 
Take  good  care  of  mother.' " 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

Prayer: 

Dear  God,  help  me  to  take  good  care  of  mother,  and  thank 
you  for  father. 

Handwork: 

The  child's  love  for  his  parents  aroused  at  this  time  should 
be  given  some  further  expression.  The  teacher  may  suggest 
making  a  gift  for  mother  which  will  help  her.  Perhaps  a 
holder  could  be  made.  Two  circles  6  by  6  inches  may  be  cut 
from  cloth  by  the  teacher;  they  may  be  fitted  together  by  the 
children,  a  piece  of  padding  having  been  put  between.  Two 
or  three  basting  stitches  will  hold  them,  and  the  children 
may  overcast  the  edge,  using  coarse  needles  and  thread.  A 
little  brass  ring  may  be  sewed  on  each  holder  by  which  to 
hang  it.  Great  will  be  the  joy  of  the  children  in  this  little 
gift.  (A  word  from  the  teacher  to  the  mother  will  help  to 
make  the  mother's  appreciation  more  evident  to  the  child. 
Some  mothers  do  not  realize  the  extent  of  a  child's  effort  nor 
the  encouragement  which  approval  brings  him.) 


LESSON  XVI 
THANKSGIVING  IS  COMING 

BEFORE  the  child  is  ready  to  express  thanksgiving,  the 
teacher  must  give  him  a  chance  to  share  with  her  and  the 
other  children  his  anticipated  joys.  Then  he  reverently  thanks 
God  for  them  all. 

Conversation: 

A  couple  of  weeks  before  Thanksgiving  the  children  always 
come  brimming  with  anticipations  of  the  festival.  Before  they 
are  ready  to  express  thanksgiving  they  must  have  the  oppor- 
tunity to  share  with  the  teacher  and  each  other  the  joys  that  are 
in  store.  They  will  tell  about  the  contemplated  visit  to  grand- 
mother's house  or  about  the  relatives  who  are  to  spend  the 
holiday  with  them.  They  will  have  much  to  say  about  what 
they  expect  to  have  for  Thanksgiving  dinner,  principally  turkey 
or  chicken,  and  great  will  be  their  happiness  in  contemplating 
the  fun  of  it  all. 

Rhythm: 

This  joyous  mood  can  best  be  expressed  through  a  gay 
skip  in  which  the  arms  are  free  and  the  whole  body  responds 
to  the  rhythm. 

Song: 

The  teacher  may  put  the  Thanksgiving  Day  experience  in 
poetry  for  them  by  singing,  as  many  times  as  they  may  wish  to 
hear  it,  the  following  song : 

106 


THANKSGIVING  IS  COMING  107 

Glad  Thanksgiving  Day : 

"On  glad  Thanksgiving  Day 
The  children  will  be  gay. 
We  like  the  dinner  of  turkey  and  spice; 
We  like  the  candies  and  nuts  and  ice, 
And  then  we  like  to  play 
On  glad  Thanksgiving  Day." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

Prayer : 

When  the  children  are  glad,  they  will  quickly  turn  to  God 
to  express  their  gratitude  if  the  suggestion  is  made  to  them. 
This  beautiful  prayer  by  Robert  Louis  Stevenson  may  be  intro- 
duced : 

"Thanks  to  our  Father  we  will  bring, 
For  he  gives  us  everything." 

Handwork : 

The  children  may  have  crayon  and  paper,  drawing  any 
part  of  the  Thanksgiving  plans  which  they  care  to  illustrate. 
It  may  be  grandmother's  house,  the  turkey,  the  apples,  the 
pie,  or  grandfather  himself.  If  it  seems  more  desirable,  clay 
may  be  given  (a  small  piece  to  each  child)  and  he  may  make 
pies,  cakes,  fruit,  vegetables  as  he  chooses.  Once  again  the 
Thanksgiving  experience  is  lived  through  the  imagination. 


LESSON  XVII 
THANKSGIVING  IS  COMING  (CONTINUED) 

Song: 

THE  children  may  wish  to  recall  the  happy  anticipations  by 
asking  the  teacher  to  sing  again  the  Thanksgiving  Day  song. 
Once  more  the  gay  skip,  with  possibly  the  clapoing  of  the  hands 
added,  will  express  the  mood  best. 

Pictures: 

Pictures  of  typical  home  Thanksgiving  scenes  brought 
in  by  the  teacher  will  interest  the  children  greatly  and  will 
suggest  more  experiences  of  their  own.  When  the  time  is 
right  for  prayer,  the  children  may  repeat  the  prayer  used  the 
previous  day : 

"Thanks  to  our  Father  we  will  bring, 
For  he  gives  us  everything." 

Story :  The  Thanksgiving  Surprise. 

The  following  realistic  story  will  be  appreciated  by  the  chil- 
dren, and  will  make  them  more  conscious  of  this  beautiful 
home  love. 

A  week  before  Thanksgiving,  Mother  and  Father  Mason 
had  received  a  letter  from  Grandfather  Mason,  who  lived  on 
a  farm.  It  said:  "Don't  buy  a  turkey  for  Thanksgiving,  as 
Grandmother  and  I  will  be  in  from  the  farm  bright  and  early 
that  morning.  We  have  the  finest  turkey  in  the  land  picked  out 
for  you,  and  we  have  him  fattening  in  the  corn  pen  right 
now!" 

108 


THANKSGIVING  IS  COMING  109 

Grandfather  was  always  as  good  as  his  word.  Bright  and 
early  on  Thanksgiving  morning  he  drove  up  to  the  door  of 
Father  Mason's  house  in  town.  Father  and  Mother  Mason 
were  watching  for  him,  and  so  were  the  children.  In  fact, 
Bob  and  Helen  were  waiting  at  the  driveway,  waving  their 
hands  and  jumping  up  and  down  with  joy.  Bob  helped  Grand- 
mother out  of  the  automobile  and  took  her  bag  for  her,  while 
Helen  waited  until  Grandfather  had  pulled  a  big  box  from 
under  the  seat.  It  was  so  heavy  that  Father  had  to  help  carry 
it  into  the  house. 

The  whole  family  gathered  around  Mother  as  she  took  the 
lid  from  the  box. 

"Let  the  children  guess,"  said  Grandfather. 

"I  guess  a  turkey,"  cried  Bob. 

"Right,"  said  Grandfather,  "the  first  pop  out  of  the  box!" 

Bob  had  the  pleasure  of  lifting  the  big  fellow.  He  weighed 
all  of  fifteen  pounds  and  not  a  bone  could  be  seen. 

"Now,"  said  Grandfather,  "it's  Helen's  turn." 

Helen  put  her  nose  close  to  the  box.  "Apples !"  she  shouted, 
and,  sure  enough,  there  they  were — round  and  rosy  and  sweet, 
a  whole  sack  of  them. 

"I  think  it's  my  turn,"  said  Father;  and  he  began  to  shake 
a  brown  paper  bag  with  something  that  rattled  inside.  "You 
can't  fool  me,"  said  Father.  "Those  are  the  hazelnuts  that 
grow  in  the  back  woods  lot.  I  remember  gathering  them  after 
the  first  heavy  frost  when  I  wasn't  as  big  as  you  are,  Bob." 

"There  is  one  package  left,"  said  Grandmother.  "I  wonder 
if  your  mother  can  tell  what  is  in  it." 

"Indeed,  I  can,"  Mother  said.  "Your  grandmother  never 
yet  failed  to  bring  me  some  eggs  for  the  Thanksgiving  cake." 

Mother  was  right ;  there  were  the  eggs  in  the  package — two 
dozen  of  them.  Helen  counted  twice  to  make  sure. 

Then  Grandmother  dressed  the  turkey,  Helen  washed  the 
apples,  Father  cracked  the  nuts,  Bob  beat  the  eggs  for  the  cake 


no      THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

that  Mother  was  getting  ready  to  bake,  and  dear  old  Grand- 
father sat  by  the  fire  and  told  stories ! 

Dramatization : 

The  children  may  wish  to  play  "visit."  Perhaps  they  will  be 
ready  to  follow  the  plot  of  the  story — Grandfather  and  Grand- 
mother may  arrive  in  the  automobile  at  the  Mason  house. 
A  box  with  a  few  improvised  packages  may  furnish  the  stimu- 
lus for  the  little  guessing  game.  The  dialogue  will  be  very 
much  abbreviated  as  the  articles  are  taken  from  the  box; 
the  activity  in  finding  will  be  the  principal  charm  to  the  chil- 
dren. A  real  apple,  egg,  and  some  nuts  will  add  greatly  to  the 
fun  of  the  play. 

Sand  table : 

Grandfather's  farm  may  be  suggested  in  the  sand  table: 
the  house  and  barn  may  be  made  of  sand,  sticks  may  be  used 
for  the  fences,  and  twigs  to  represent  the  trees.  The  road  to 
the  town  may  be  indicated  and  the  town  itself  by  a  few  sand 
houses  of  which  Father  Mason's  is  one.  Any  descriptive  de- 
tails that  the  children  suggest  may  be  added. 


LESSON  XVIII 
WHAT  THANKSGIVING  REALLY  MEANS 

A  LITTLE  child  is  very  sympathetic  when  he  realizes  the  need 
of  another  little  child.  He  gladly  shares  with  that  other  little 
child,  and  again  the  concrete  chance  to  help  in  his  small  way 
starts  a  habit  of  service. 

Excursion : 

The  windows  of  the  grocery  and  fruit  stores  are  always 
very  beautiful  before  Thanksgiving  with  the  many  bright- 
colored  fruits  and  vegetables.  Sometimes  one  or  more  live 
turkeys  and  some  stacks  of  corn  add  to  the  picture.  In  order 
that  the  child's  realization  of  the  reason  for  gratitude  at  this 
time  may  be  more  keen,  it  is  well  to  take  an  excursion 
to  the  stores  and  enjoy  the  windows.  The  children  should 
have  the  opportunity  to  gaze  until  they  are  satisfied  and  the 
teacher  should  point  out  such  detail  as  they  may  fail  to  see. 

Conversation  and  drawing: 

After  the  return  the  children  may  draw  on  the  blackboard 
or  on  paper  as  many  of  the  fruits  and  vegetables  as  they  recall. 
They  may  be  reminded  of  where  these  foods  come  from,  and 
may  talk  of  the  work  of  the  gardener  or  the  farmer  and  of 
God's  gift  of  the  rain  and  the  sunshine  which  made  possible 
the  harvest. 

Song: 

The  song  may  be  sung  to  the  children : 

"The  world  is  so  full  of  a  number  of  things 
I  am  sure  we  should  all  be  as  happy  as  kings." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 
in 


ii2       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

The  children  will  enjoy  enumerating  many  things  which 
make  us  as  happy  as  kings ;  fruit,  vegetables,  turkeys,  flowers, 
birds,  the  sunshine,  fathers  and  mothers — a  never-ending  list. 

Prayer: 

Again  the  prayer  of  Stevenson's  may  be  used, 

"Thanks  to  our  Father  we  will  bring, 
For  he  gives  us  everything." 

(If  it  is  not  possible  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  store,  the  gift  of 
the  harvest  may  be  recalled  by  pictures.  The  story  of  the 
Thanksgiving  box  may  be  retold. ) 


LESSON  XIX 

WHAT    THANKSGIVING    REALLY    MEANS    (CON- 
TINUED) 

Conversation : 

THE  teacher  may  talk  with  the  children  about  Thanksgiv- 
ing. They  recall  together  the  visit  to  the  store  and  what 
they  saw  there.  Then  when  the  sense  of  gratitude  for 
the  harvest  has  been  aroused  she  may  tell  them  very  simply 
why  there  is  a  Thanksgiving  festival.  It  is  because  everyone 
is  glad  for  the  harvest.  Whether  or  not  people  go  to  the 
church  to  thank  God  on  that  day,  they  do  thank  him  in  their 
hearts. 

Song: 

"The  world  is  so  full  of  a  number  of  things 
I  am  sure  we  should  all  be  as  happy  as  kings." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

This  song  may  be  sung  several  times ;  it  is  so  simple  that 
many  of  the  children  will  wish  to  sing  it  alone.  "Praise  Him !" 
may  also  be  sung  as  the  children  are  stirred  with  the  thought 
of  God's  goodness  shown  by  the  gift  of  the  many  things  that 
make  us  "happy  as  kings." 

Story  period: 

After  a  few  minutes  of  activity,  perhaps  a  skip,  the  children 
gather  for  a  story.  The  teacher  may  tell  them  the  fol- 
lowing experience  of  a  kindergarten,  in  order  that  they  may 
realize  the  need  of  other  little  children : 

In  a  building  not  far  away  many  little  children  live  together. 


H4      THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

There  are  Bennie  and  Joe  and  Mary  and  many  more.  Some 
are  big,  some  are  little,  and  some  are  wee  babies.  They  have 
no  fathers  or  mothers,  and  so  they  live  in  the  building  to- 
gether and  some  good  women  take  care  of  them.  There  are 
more  children  than  any  of  your  mothers  have,  and  it  takes 
much  food  and  many  clothes  to  go  around.  The  good  women 
have  to  work  all  the  time  taking  care  of  the  children,  and  they 
haven't  enough  money  to  buy  what  is  needed  to  make  them 
comfortable. 

Near  the  Orphanage — for  that  is  what  we  call  the  build- 
ing— there  is  a  kindergarten.  Last  year  the  children  in  that 
kindergarten  wanted  to  give  the  children  in  the  Orphanage  a 
Thanksgiving  dinner.  Some  of  them  brought  fruit,  some 
brought  vegetables,  and  some  brought  money  for  the  turkey. 

They  packed  their  food  in  a  wagon ;  boxes  of  potatoes, 
celery,  cranberries,  and  cabbage;  baskets  of  oranges,  bananas, 
apples,  and  grapes;  glasses  of  jelly,  candy,  and — best  of  all — 
a  big  golden  pumpkin  and  a  turkey.  The  expressman  drove 
toward  the  Orphanage,  and  the  children  waved  as  long  as  they 
could  see  his  wagon. 

When  he  reached  the  Orphanage  and  told  the  good  women 
what  he  had  brought,  they  called  their  children.  Oh,  how  they 
shouted  and  danced  as  they  found  the  things  in  the  wagon,  and 
what  fun  they  had  eating  that  Thanksgiving  dinner! 

After  the  story  many  pictures  may  be  shown  of  the  Orphan- 
age and  the  children.  If  an  Orphanage  is  not  the  desirable  re- 
cipient for  the  Thanksgiving  gift,  some  other  children  may  be 
chosen  and  the  information  about  their  need  given  in  simple 
narrative  form.  This  account  will  give  understanding  and 
awaken  sympathy  and  a  desire  to  help. 

Conversation : 

After  the  story  if  the  children  do  not  themselves  ask  to 


WHAT  THANKSGIVING  REALLY  MEANS    115 

send  these  little  children  a  gift,  the  teacher  may  suggest  the 
possibility.  The  generosity  of  the  child  when  his  sympathies 
have  been  aroused  is  spontaneous  and  very  happy. 

Handwork : 

The  teacher  may  write  a  letter  to  each  mother  telling  of  the 
plan  of  the  Thanksgiving  gift,  and  each  child  may  draw  a 
picture  to  take  to  mother  showing  her  what  he  would  like  to 
bring  for  the  orphan  children.  The  gifts  may  be  brought  on 
the  day  before  Thanksgiving. 


LESSON  XX 
THE  THANKSGIVING  FESTIVAL 

THE  Thanksgiving  festival  is  the  climax  of  the  fall  prepara- 
tion. The  children  arrive  with  their  arms  full  of  gifts  and 
their  hearts  full  of  love  and  joy.  The  processional  serves  the 
purpose  of  expressing  the  happy  mood  and  of  giving  all  an 
opportunity  to  enjoy  the  gift.  After  it  has  been  packed  and 
sent  with  a  note  of  greeting,  the  teacher  may  tell  the  Thanks- 
giving story  which  may  be  followed  by  the  prayer  of  gratitude. 

Processional: 

When  the  children  come  with  their  gifts  for  the  other  little 
children,  they  are  very  happy  and  want  everybody  to  know  and 
appreciate  what  they  have  brought.  The  teacher  should  make 
each  child  feel  her  interest  and  happiness  in  his  gift.  In  some 
schools  little  baskets  and  boxes  such  as  those  in  which  fruit 
is  sold  are  provided  so  that  the  children  may  unwrap  their 
offerings  and  display  them.  When  all  the  children  have  ar- 
rived a  processional  with  each  child  carrying  his  own  offering 
may  be  formed.  In  and  out  the  room  the  children  will  gladly 
march.  (The  music  used  by  the  pianist  should  be  joyful  and 
yet  with  dignity  befitting  the  occasion. ) 

Conversation: 

After  the  processional  the  children  may  pack  the  offering 
in  bigger  boxes,  and  then,  gathering  about  the  teacher,  may 
dictate  a  note  which  she  can  write  to  send  with  the  gift. 

"Tell  the  children  that  these  things  are  for  their  dinner," 
one  child  will  suggest. 

"Say  that  we  are  sending  some  bananas,"  and  "Some  pears," 
116 


THE  THANKSGIVING  FESTIVAL  117 

and  "Some  oranges,"  and  "A  turkey,"  will  follow  in  quick 
succession  from  others.  When  the  note  is  satisfactorily  com- 
posed and  read  over  two  or  three  times,  the  children  may,  if 
the  weather  permits,  help  the  expressman  to  carry  out  the 
boxes  and  pack  them  in  the  wagon.  They  will  enjoy  waving 
to  him  as  long  as  they  can  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  departing 
wagon.  If  possible,  the  teacher  can  arrange  to  have  the  su- 
perintendent of  the  Orphanage  or  the  one  in  charge  wherever 
the  gift  is  sent,  telephone  the  children  a  little  message  of  thanks. 
The  sooner  this  message  is  received  the  more  it  will  mean  to 
the  children,  as  they  are  very  eager  for  an  immediate  expres- 
sion of  gratitude.  In  any  event  the  teacher  can  have  a  letter 
sent  later.  The  pleasure  of  the  recipient  of  the  gift  will  be  the 
chief  incentive  in  making  the  children  want  to  give  again. 

Song: 

After  the  excitement  of  sending  the  gift,  the  children 
will  find  the  best  expression  for  their  happiness  in  song.  They 
may  sing  any  of  the  songs  that  they  have  used  in  -the  fall 
months,  but  the  ones  which  will  mean  most  at  this  time  will 
probably  be  "The  world  is  so  full  of  a  number  of  things" 
and  "Praise  Him !" 

Story:  The  Angelus. 

The  teacher  may  show  the  children  the  picture  of  "The 
Angelus,"  by  Millet.  It  is  without  doubt  in  its  simple  rever- 
ence and  gratitude  for  the  harvest  our  most  beautiful  Thanks- 
giving picture.  Its  message  is  perfectly  within  the  compre- 
hension of  the  little  child.  Many  stories  have  been  told  about 
this  picture.  The  following  narrative  may  be  used  if  desired : 

A  father  and  a  mother  were  out  in  the  field  in  the  fall  of 
the  year  digging  potatoes.  They  pulled  up  the  potato  vines 
and  then  they  hunted  in  the  ground  until  they  had  found  every 
potato  there.  They  had  great  sacks  in  which  they  dropped  the 


ii8       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

potatoes  and  a  wheelbarrow  on  which  to  trundle  the  sacks 
from  vine  to  vine.  As  they  worked  the  sun  traveled  across 
the  sky  and  began  to  sink  in  the  west.  The  clouds  were  red 
and  gold  and  violet.  The  sheep  followed  the  shepherd  home 
to  the  fold;  you  could  hear  their  tinkling  bells.  Even  the 
birds  were  winging  their  way  to  the  nest.  Still  the  father  and 
mother  worked  without  ceasing. 

Then  in  the  stillness  at  the  close  of  the  day,  the  bell  in  the 
church  on  the  hill  began  to  ring,  "Bim  Bom,  Bim  Bom,  Bim, 
Bom,  Bom!"  At  the  first  note,  the  father  took  off  his  hat, 
bowed  his  head  and  thought  about  his  good  wife,  his  dear 
little  children  at  home,  and  the  potatoes  which  would  feed  them 
through  the  winter.  "Thank  you,  God,"  he  said.  The  mother 
also  bowed  her  head  and  folded  her  hands ;  and  as  she  thought 
of  the  children  waiting  for  her,  of  the  strong  father  by  her 
side,  and  of  the  potatoes  for  their  dinner  many  nights,  she 
too  said,  "Thank  you,  God !" 

When  the  bell  stopped  ringing  and  all  was  silent  again,  the 
father  and  the  mother  started  home  with  wheelbarrow  and 
basket  and  spade.  By  and  by  they  spied  their  little  house  and 
at  the  door  were  their  children  watching  and  waiting  for  them. 
"Oh,"  said  the  children,  "we'll  have  potatoes  for  dinner  to- 
night," and  they  did. 

Prayer: 

The  children  will  want  to  look  long  at  the  picture  after  the 
telling  of  the  story  and  then  to  say  very  reverently,  as  did  the 
father  and  the  mother,  "Thank  you,  God." 

Handwork: 

Each  child  is  given  a  picture  of  "The  Angelus"  to  mount 
on  a  brown  card  and  take  home. 

(In  the  telling  of  the  story  if  the  sound  of  the  bell  is  in- 
toned, it  will  add  to  the  effectiveness  of  the  story.) 


WINTER 


LESSON  XXI 
GOD'S  GREATEST  GIFT 

THE  material  here  is  sufficient  for  two  weeks,  and  as  De- 
cember sometimes  contains  three  and  sometimes  four  school 
weeks,  it  can  be  extended  when  time  permits.  There  is  no 
story  more  lovely  for  the  child  at  this  age  than  the  coming 
of  the  baby  Jesus.  It  is  the  aim  here  to  bring  all  babies  nearer 
to  the  child,  thinking  of  each  one  as  a  gift  from  God.  The 
child's  love  goes  out  to  God  and  to  the  Christ-child. 

Song  and  rhythm: 

If  it  is  cold — and  it  is  likely  to  be  at  this  season  of  the  year — 
the  children  may  sing  "The  Frost  Song''  and  may  play  skating 
or  sliding.  (The  music  for  a  glide  is  to  be  used.)  If  it  is  very 
cold,  the  children  will  enjoy  clapping  the  hands  and  stamping 
the  feet  in  order  to  warm  them.  If  it  has  snowed,  the  whirling 
snowflakes  can  be  imitated  as  the  children  skim  lightly  on  the 
tips  of  their  toes,  now  and  then  whirling  about,  and  at  last 
sinking  quietly  to  the  floor.  (The  music  "Floating  like  a 
Feather"  in  the  Crawford  Rhythms  may  be  used  by  the 
pianist.) 

Conversation: 

The  children  will  want  to  tell  about  their  Thanksgiving 
experiences,  and  it  means  much  pleasure  to  recall  these  and  to 
share  them  with  one  another.  The  teacher  is  interested  in 
each  contribution ;  as  her  own  she  may  tell  of  a  visit  to  the 
Orphanage  or  the  Home  where  the  children's  Thanksgiv- 
ing gift  was  given.  She  may  tell  how  it  was  received  and 

121 


122       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

may  bring  the  messages  from  the  other  little  children.  As 
the  children  recall  their  experience  they  may  want  to  sing 
the  Thanksgiving  songs  and  perhaps  to  dramatize  some  part 
of  the  experience,  such  as  going  on  the  train  to  Grandmother's 
house  or  playing  one  of  the  games  that  was  enjoyed. 

Story:  The  Annunciation. 

After  some  activity,  the  teacher  may  gather  the  children 
about  her  and  tell  them  the  first  of  the  stories  of  the  birth 
of  the  Christ-child,  the  lovely  account  of  the  Annunciation. 
She  can  create  the  atmosphere  for  the  story  by  recalling 
some  incident  about  the  baby  in  the  home  of  one  of  the  chil- 
dren or  by  presenting  the  name  of  some  little  baby  recently 
arrived  in  one  of  the  families. 

Once  upon  a  time,  there  was  a  young  woman,  Mary,  who 
was  praying  in  her  garden  in  the  evening  as  were  the  father 
and  mother  in  the  field.  As  Mary  prayed  she  heard  a  sound, 
and  looking  up  she  saw  a  lovely  angel.  The  angel  was  kind 
to  Mary  when  he  saw  that  she  was  frightened.  "Fear  not, 
Mary,"  he  said.  "Blessed  art  thou  among  women.  The  Lord 
is  with  thee." 

Then  the  angel  told  Mary  a  wonderful  secret.  He  told 
her  that  God  would  send  to  her  the  little  Lord  Jesus  and  she 
would  be  his  mother.  Mary  could  not  believe  what  she  heard, 
but  she  knew  the  angel  would  not  deceive  her.  "Be  it  unto 
me  even  according  to  thy  word,"  she  said. 

The  angel  returned  to  God  who  had  sent  him  and  Mary 
remembered  what  he  had  said.  There  was  a  song  in  her  heart 
while  she  began  to  get  ready  for  the  little  Lord  Jesus.  She 
asked  God  every  day  to  help  her  to  take  good  care  of  the  baby 
when  he  should  come. 

Picture: 

After  the  story  the  picture  of   "The  Annunciation,"   by 


GOD'S  GREATEST  GIFT  123 

Murilio,  may  be  shown  to  the  children  and  the  music  of  "Silent 
Night"  may  be  played  on  the  piano  very  softly  while  the  chil- 
dren look. 

Handwork : 

The  children  may  begin  a  little  book  of  the  pictures  con- 
nected with  the  story  of  the  birth  of  the  Christ-child,  by 
cutting  out  and  mounting  the  one  of  "The  Annunciation." 
As  they  do  so  the  teacher  may  lead  them  to  talk  about  their 
babies,  and  she  may  recall  the  story  just  told  of  the  com- 
ing of  the  little  Lord  Jesus.  At  this  time  the  child  would  not 
understand  any  references  to  the  mission  of  Jesus  or  the  ex- 
planation of  his  divinity.  The  simple  account  of  his  birth  told 
with  the  utmost  reverence  will  make  a  deep  impression  on  the 
children  and  will  set  him  apart  from  all  other  babies. 


LESSON  XXII 
GOD'S  GREATEST  GIFT  (CONTINUED) 

As  the  picture  of  "The  Annunciation"  is  presented  to  the 
children  they  will  remember  the  story  and  tell  very  simply 
in  their  own  words  about  the  angel  and  Mary.  The  teacher 
may  retell  that  part  of  the  story  and  may  then  continue : 

Story:  The  Birth  of  the  Christ-child. 

One  day  Joseph,  Mary's  husband,  took  her  on  a  journey 
to  another  village,  the  town  of  Bethlehem.  It  was  a  long 
way  from  Nazareth  where  they  lived  to  Bethlehem.  Mary 
rode  on  a  donkey,  and  Joseph  walked  by  her  side.  They 
were  both  very  tired  when  they  came  at  evening  to  Bethlehem. 

There  were  many  other  people  journeying  to  Bethlehem,  so 
that  every  place  in  the  inn  or  hotel  was  taken.  When  the  inn- 
keeper told  Joseph  that  he  had  no  room  for  them  in  the  inn, 
Joseph  said,  "Where  shall  I  take  Mary  to-night?"  The  inn- 
keeper told  him  that  they  could  spend  the  night  in  the  stable 
where  the  sheep,  the  oxen,  and  the  donkeys  were. 

Joseph  made  a  bed  for  Mary  on  the  hay,  and  there  they 
rested.  That  very  night  God  sent  to  Mary  the  little  Lord  Jesus, 
and  all  the  stable  was  filled  with  the  glory  of  his  coming. 

Mary  wrapped  him  round  and  round  in  a  long  piece  of 
cloth  called  swaddling  clothes,  and  because  she  had  no  crib 
for  him  she  laid  him  in  the  manger,  the  wooden  box,  from 
which  the  sheep,  the  oxen  and  the  donkeys  ate  their  hay.  Do 
you  not  think  they  were  surprised  when  they  saw  the  little 
Lord  Jesus  there ! 

124 


GOD'S  GREATEST  GIFT  125 

Picture: 

"The  Arrival  of  the  Shepherds,"  by  Le  Rolle,  may  be 
shown  following  the  story,  no  special  attention  being  given 
to  the  shepherds.  Any  other  good  picture  of  the  Nativity 
may  be  substituted.  This  one  by  Le  Rolle  presents  a  strong 
appeal  because  of  the  mystery  suggested  in  the  setting. 
The  dim  rafters  of  the  stable,  the  animals,  the  father  and 
mother  and  the  tiny  spot  of  radiance  representing  the  baby, 
give  it  an  unequaled  interest  to  the  children. 

Song: 

There  is  no  more  beautiful  song  than  Luther's  "Cradle 
Hymn,"  which  will  be  immediately  understood  and  appreciated 
if  sung  to  the  children  at  this  time : 

"Away  in  a  manger, 

No  crib  for  a  bed, 
The  little  Lord  Jesus 

Lay  down  his  sweet  head. 
The  stars  in  the  heavens 

Looked  down  where  he  lay, 
The  little  Lord  Jesus 

Asleep  on  the  hay." 

This  may  be  sung  several  times  to  the  children  and  the 
words  repeated  apart  from  the  music, 

Handwork : 

The  book  of  pictures  may  be  continued  by  letting  the  chil- 
dren cut  out  a  copy  of  "The  Arrival  of  the  Shepherds,"  by 
Le  Rolle,  and  paste  it  in  the  book.  The  two  pictures  may  be  ex- 
amined further  and  the  teacher  may  sing  the  "Cradle  Hymn" 
over  several  times  with  the  children. 


LESSON  XXIII 
GOD'S  GREATEST  GIFT  (CONTINUED) 

As  was  suggested  in  the  last  period,  after  the  children  have 
engaged  in  some  activity,  the  pictures  may  be  used  to  recall 
the  story.  As  the  teacher  retells  the  story  the  children  may  be 
encouraged  to  tell  it  with  her.  Then  the  teacher  may  con- 
tinue : 

Story:  The  Shepherds. 

On  the  same  night  when  the  little  Lord  Jesus  was  born 
there  were  in  the  fields  shepherds  abiding,  keeping  watch 
over  their  flocks.  These  shepherds  were  men  with  clothing 
made  of  the  skins  of  wild  animals,  and  their  faces  were  bronzed 
by  the  wind  and  the  sun.  They  were  very  careful  of  the  sheep 
and  very  tender  of  the  little  lambs. 

One  shepherd  watched  while  the  others  slept,  lest  a  lion 
or  a  bear  might  creep  upon  the  flock  and  carry  off  a  lamb. 
Suddenly  as  he  watched  he  saw  a  bright  light  in  the  sky  and  he 
called  the  other  shepherds  to  wake  and  see.  The  light  grew 
bright  as  day  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shone  round  about  the 
shepherds.  They  were  sore  afraid  and  fell  upon  their  faces. 

Then  an  angel  began  to  sing  to  them.  It  was  the  same 
angel  who  had  told  Mary  of  the  coming  of  the  little  Lord 
Jesus.  "Fear  not,"  he  said,  "for,  behold,  I  bring  unto  you  good 
tidings  of  great  joy  which  shall  be  to  all  people.  For  unto  you 
is  born  this  day  in  the  city  of  David,  a  Saviour,  which  is 
Christ  the  Lord.  And  this  shall  be  for  a  sign  unto  you:  Ye 
shall  find  the  babe  wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes,  lying  in  a 
manger." 

Suddenly  there  was  with  the  angel  a  great  multitude  of 
126 


GOD'S  GREATEST  GIFT  127 

angels  praising  God  and  saying,  "Glory  be  to  God  in  the  high- 
est, and  on  earth  peace,  good  will  toward  men."  As  the  shep- 
herds listened  the  angels  floated  away  and  very  softly  they 
could  be  heard  singing,  "Glory  be  to  God  in  the  highest,  and 
on  earth  peace,  good  will  toward  men." 

When  all  was  still  the  shepherds  began  to  speak.  "The 
angel  said  that  Christ  the  Lord  is  born !"  said  one. 

"Yes,"  said  another,  "and  he  told  us  that  we  should  find 
him  wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes  lying  in  a  manger." 

"Let  us  go  to  see  him !"  they  cried. 

And  down  the  hill  to  the  little  town  of  Bethlehem  they  went. 
In  the  stable  they  found  the  little  Lord  Jesus  with  Mary  and 
Joseph.  They  thanked  God  for  sending  the  Babe  as  they  fell 
on  their  knees  about  him. 

They  went  back  to  their  sheep,  telling  all  whom  they  met 
that  they  had  seen  the  Christ-child. 

Picture: 

While  the  music  of  "Silent  Night"  is  played,  the  children 
may  study  the  picture,  "Apparition  to  the  Shepherds,"  by 
Plockhorst.  They  may  see  again  "The  Arrival  of  the  Shep- 
herds," by  Le  Rolle,  this  time  looking  for  the  shepherds  in 
the  picture. 

Song: 

The  "Cradle  Hymn,"  by  Luther,  may  be  sung  softly  and  the 
second  verse  added : 

"The  cattle  are  lowing, 

The  baby  awakes, 
But  little  Lord  Jesus 

No  crying  he  makes. 
I  love  thee,  Lord  Jesus, 

Look  down  from  the  sky, 
And  stay   by  my  cradle 
Till  morning  is  nigh." 


128       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

Prayer: 

Dear  heavenly  Father,  we  thank  you  for  sending  the  little 
Lord  Jesus. 

Handwork: 

The  book  of  pictures  may  be   continued   by  adding  the 
new  one,  "The  Apparition  of  the  Shepherds." 


LESSON  XXIV 
GOD'S  GREATEST  GIFT  (CONCLUDED) 

Picture  study  and  conversation: 

THE  children  may  study  the  three  pictures,  telling  a  story 
about  each  one.  They  may  sing  the  "Cradle  Hymn"  over  and 
over.  Then  the  teacher  may  question  about  the  babies  at  home 
and  speak  of  God's  love  in  sending  each  one.  The  story  of 
the  Christ-child  will  make  every  little  baby  seem  more  precious. 
A  new  picture,  the  most  childlike  of  the  group,  may  be  shown 
at  this  time — Raphael's  "Madonna  of  the  Chair."  Here  Mary, 
Jesus,  and  an  older  child  are  seen. 

Story: 

If  there  is  time  the  teacher  may  retell  the  complete  story  or 
at  least  the  part  about  the  shepherds.  At  the  close  one  verse 
of  "Silent  Night,"  may  be  sung: 

"Silent  night,  holy  night, 
All  is  calm,  all  is  bright 
Round  yon  Virgin,  mother  and  child; 
Holy  Infant  so  tender  and  mild, 
Sleep  in  heavenly  peace, 
Sleep  in  heavenly  peace." 

Verse:   This  beautiful  "Christmas  Song"  may  be  repeated 
from  time  to  time  until  it  is  really  the  possession  of  each  child : 
"Why  do  bells  for  Christmas  ring? 
Why  do  little  children  sing? 

"Once  a  lovely,  shining  star, 
Seen  by  shepherds  from  afar, 
Gently  moved  until  its  light 
Made  a  manger-cradle  bright. 
129 


130       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

"There  a  darling  Baby  lay 
Pillowed  soft  upon  the  hay. 
And  his  mother  sang  and  smiled, 
'This  is  Christ,  the  holy  child.' 

"So  the  bells  for  Christmas  ring; 
So  the  little  children  sing." 

(Lydia  Avery  Coonley  Ward.) 

Prayer: 

Dear  heavenly  Father,  we  thank  thee  for  the  little  Lord 
Jesus  and  for  every  little  baby. 

Handwork : 

The  book  may  be  finished  by  putting  in  the  new  picture, 
"The  Madonna  of  the  Chair."  The  children  can  now  take  the 
book  home  and  tell  the  story  to  mother  and  father. 


LESSON  XXV 
THE  JOYS  OF  CHRISTMAS 

As  Christmas  approaches  the  little  child  is  filled  with  joy, 
for  he  anticipates  the  surprises  in  store  for  him.  Many  little 
children  believe  in  Santa  Claus,  having  been  taught  by  their 
parents  to  ascribe  to  him  the  Christmas  gifts.  Santa  Claus 
is  but  a  symbolic  figure  representing  the  spirit  of  giving 
abroad  in  the  land  at  the  Christmas  season ;  every  country  has 
some  symbol  to  convey  this  meaning  to  its  children.  The 
danger  of  deception  in  the  use  of  this  symbol  has  been  in  its 
too  literal  interpretation  and  in  the  commercializing  that  has 
dragged  Santa  in  rags  and  tatters  about  our  streets  and  depart- 
ment stores.  Treated  as  a  mysterious  figure  never  seen  by 
mortal  eye,  the  child  will  in  time  interpret  the  symbol  for  him- 
self as  he  does  the  fairy,  the  giant,  and  the  witch.  The  child 
should  have  the  opportunity  of  telling  to  the  teacher  and  the 
children  what  he  hopes  to  receive,  for  the  big  "emotional 
thrill"  at  this  age  is  in  receiving. 

Next  to  the  pleasure  in  getting  comes  the  joy  of  making 
surprises  for  mother  and  father.  These  little  gifts  may  be 
very  simple  handwork  in  connection  with  the  lessons.  The 
child  will  be  glad  to  remember  the  other  children  in  orphanage 
and  mission,  and  to  share  his  toys  with  them.  He  likes  to  think 
that  he  is  helping  Santa  Claus. 

Rhythm: 

The  children  will  express  the  mood  of  joy  best  through 
a  skip,  as  has  been  suggested  before.  The  music  of  "The 
Happiest  Skip"  in  the  Crawford  Rhythms  is  well  selected  to 


132       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

express  this  joy.     Lightly  on  the  tips  of  their  toes  they  may 
skip,  clapping  the  hands  sometimes  and  stopping  to  whirl  about. 

Conversation : 

In  connection  with  the  planning  for  Christmas  the  Christ- 
mas tree  may  be  mentioned  and  the  teacher  may  suggest  trim- 
ming one  for  the  mothers  and  fathers.  The  children  may 
talk  about  all  the  trimmings  that  they  would  like  for  it :  a 
star  at  the  top,  tinsel,  lights,  chains. 

Song: 

The  song  of  the  Christmas  Tree  may  be  sung : 

"O  Christmas  tree,  O  Christmas  tree, 
How  beauteous  are  your  branches! 

Your  silver  cobwebs  glisten  bright 

In  lovely  glow  of  candle  light. 

O  Christmas  tree,  O  Christmas  tree, 
How  beauteous  are  your  branches! 

"O  Christmas  tree,  O  Christmas  tree, 

How  laden  are  your  branches ! 

High  at  your  top  a  radiant  star 

Bids  all  to  come  where  wonders  are. 

O  Christmas  tree,  O  Christmas  tree, 

How  laden  are  your  branches!" 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

The  teacher  may  use  either  of  these  verses  that  she  prefers, 
or,  if  there  is  time,  she  may  use  both. 

Handwork : 

The  children  will  enjoy  making  at  least  one  of  the  tree 
decorations.  Almost  every  child  knows  how  to  make  paper 
chains.  Strips  of  gold,  silver,  or  red  paper,  or  a  combination 
of  gold  and  red,  may  be  given  the  children.  With  a  little 


THE  JOYS  OF  CHRISTMAS  133 

paste  these  will  be  readily  transformed  into  chains.     Several 
children  will  like  to  join  their  chains  to  make  a  longer  chain. 

Pictures  and  songs: 

At  the  close  of  the  morning  the  children  will  enjoy  gathering 
about  the  teacher  for  a  quiet  study  of  the  Christ-child  pictures 
and  a  retelling  of  the  wonderful  story.  They  can  then  sing 
Luther's  "Cradle  Hymn"  and  "Silent  Night." 

Prayer : 

Dear  heavenly  Father,  we  thank  you  for  Christmas  and 
everything  that  it  brings  to  make  us  happy. 


LESSON  XXVI  , 

THE  JOYS  OF  CHRISTMAS  (CONTINUED) 

Song: 

As  the  conversation  reverts  to  the  Christmas  tree  the  song 
of  the  Christmas  Tree  may  be  sung  again,  and  the  Norwegian 
legend  of  "The  Christmas  Spruce  Tree,"  by  Anna  Von 
Rydingsvard,  told  to  the  children. 

Story:  The  Christmas  Spruce  Tree. 

Among  the  tall  trees  in  the  forest  grew  a  little  spruce  tree. 
It  was  no  taller  than  a  man,  and  that  is  very  short  for  a  tree. 

She  liked  to  listen  when  the  other  trees  were  talking,  but 
it  often  made  her  sad. 

"I  am  king  of  the  forest,"  said  the  oak.  "Look  at  my  huge 
trunk  and  my  branches.  How  they  reach  up  toward  heaven ! 
I  furnish  planks  for  men  from  which  they  build  their  ships. 
Then  I  defy  the  storm  on  the  ocean  as  I  do  the  .thunder  in  the 
forest." 

"And  I  go  with  you  over  the  foaming  waves,"  said  the  tall 
straight  pine.  "I  hold  up  the  flapping  sails  when  the  ships  fly 
over  the  ocean." 

"And  we  warm  the  houses  when  winter  comes  and  the  cold 
north  wind  drives  the  snow  before  him,"  said  the  birches. 

"We  have  the  same  work  to  do/'  said  a  tall  fir  tree,  and 
she  bowed  gracefully,  drooping  her  branches  toward  the 
ground. 

The  little  spruce  tree  heard  the  other  trees  talking  about 
their  work  in  the  world.  This  made  her  sad,  and  she  thought, 
"What  work  can  I  do?  What  will  become  of  me?" 

134 


THE  JOYS  OF  CHRISTMAS  135 

But  she  could  not  think  of  any  way  in  which  she  could  be 
useful.  She  decided  to  ask  the  other  trees  in  the  forest.  So 
she  asked  the  oak,  the  pine,  and  the  fir,  but  they  were  so  proud 
and  stately  they  did  not  even  hear  her. 

Then  she  asked  the  beautiful  white  birch  that  stood  near  by. 
"You  have  no  work  to  do,"  said  the  birch,  "because  you  can 
never  grow  large  enough.  Perhaps  you  might  be  a  Christmas 
tree,  but  that  is  all." 

"What  is  a  Christmas  tree  ?"  asked  the  little  spruce. 

"I  do  not  know  exactly,"  replied  the  birch.  "Sometimes 
when  the  days  are  short  and  cold,  and  the  ground  is  covered 
with  snow,  men  come  out  here  into  the  forest.  They  look  at 
all  the  little  spruce  trees  and  choose  the  prettiest,  saying,  This 
will  do  for  a  Christmas  tree.'  Then  they  chop  it  down  and 
carry  it  away.  What  they  do  with  it  I  cannot  tell." 

The  little  spruce  asked  the  rabbit  that  hopped  over  the  snow, 
and  the  owls  that  slept  in  the  pines,  and  the  squirrels  that  came 
to  find  nuts  and  acorns.  But  no  one  knew  more  than  the  birch 
tree.  No  one  could  tell  what  men  did  with  the  Christmas  trees. 

Then  the  little  spruce  tree  wept  because  she  had  no  work  to 
do  and  could  not  be  of  any  use  in  the  world.  The  tears 
hardened  into  clear,  round  drops,  which  we  call  gum. 

At  last  a  boy  came  into  the  forest  with  an  ax  in  his  hand.  He 
looked  the  little  tree  all  over.  "Perhaps  this  will  do  for  a 
Christmas  tree,"  he  said.  So  he  chopped  it  down,  laid  it  on 
a  sled,  and  dragged  it  home. 

The  next  day  the  boy  sold  the  tree,  and  it  was  taken  into 
a  large  room  and  dressed  up  with  popcorn  and  gilded  nuts 
and  candles.  Packages  of  all  sizes  and  shapes,  and  tiny  bags 
filled  with  candy,  were  tied  on  its  branches. 

The  tree  was  trembling  with  excitement,  but  she  stood  as 
still  as  she  could.  "What  if  I  should  drop  some  of  this  fruit," 
she  thought. 

When  it  began  to  grow  dark,  every  one  left  the  room  and 


136      THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

the  tree  was  alone.  It  began  to  feel  lonely  and  to  think  sad 
thoughts. 

Soon  the  door  opened  and  a  lady  came  in.  She  lighted  all 
the  candles.  How  light  and  glowing  it  was  then!  The  tree 
had  never  even  dreamed  of  anything  so  beautiful! 

Then  the  children  came  and  danced  about  the  tree,  singing 
a  Christmas  song.  The  father  played  on  his  violin,  and  the 
baby  sat  in  her  mother's  arms,  smiling  and  cooing. 

"Now  I  know  what  I  was  made  for,"  thought  the  spruce 
tree;  "I  was  intended  to  give  joy  to  the  little  ones,  because  I, 
myself,  am  so  small  and  humble." 

Activity  i 

The  children  may  choose  some  child  to  represent  the  little 
spruce  tree  and  all  of  them  may  take  hands  and  dance  about 
it,  singing  at  the  close  their  song  of  the  Christmas  Tree. 

Handwork: 

The  teacher  and  the  children  may  plan  a  little  gift  for 
father  and  mother  as  a  surprise  when  they  come  to  the 
Christmas  tree.  The  teacher  may  have  several  of  the  pictures 
of  the  Nativity  and  may  let  each  child  choose  one  to  mount 
for  mother  and  another  for  father.  If  these  are  secured  in 
the  sepia  and  mounted  on  brown  cards,  they  will  be  very 
lovely.  The  children  can  be  inspired  to  take  more  than 
usual  care  in  cutting  out  the  pictures  and  in  mounting  them. 
After  the  pictures  are  finished,  a  little  card  may  be  written 
for  each  one  at  the  dictation  of  the  children  and  the  little  gift 
may  be  wrapped  in  tissue  paper  and  tied  with  cord.  The  chil- 
dren will  be  radiant  in  planning  this  surprise. 

Conversation : 

The  teacher  may  recall  the  gift  of  the  dinner  to  the  children 
at  the  Orphanage  and  may  ask  what  could  be  done  for  them 


THE  JOYS  OF  CHRISTMAS  137 

at  Christmas.  Another  dinner,  clothing,  and  toys  may  be 
suggested.  The  teacher  may  guide  the  selection  to  whatever 
is  most  needed;  perhaps  it  will  be  the  toys.  She  may  give 
the  children  notes  to  take  home  to  the  mothers  telling  them 
of  the  plan. 

Song: 

The  morning  may  close  with  the  singing  of  the  Christmas 
hymns  and  the  prayer : 

Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  you  for  Christmas  and  the 
Christ-child.  Help  us  to  make  our  fathers  and  mothers  and 
the  little  orphan  children  happy. 


LESSON  XXVII 
THE  CHRISTMAS  FESTIVAL 

THE  Christmas  festival,  like  the  one  at  Thanksgiving,  should 
be  the  climax  of  the  Christmas  preparation,  when  through 
song  and  rhythm,  through  the  giving  and  the  packing  of  his 
little  presents,  he  expresses  his  overflowing  happiness.  The 
love  for  the  Christ-child  in  one  of  the  beautiful  stories  which 
cluster  about  the  Nativity  should  be  included.  The  child's 
prayer  is  one  of  sincere  gratitude. 

Preparation : 

The  fathers  and  mothers  may  be  invited  for  later  in  the 
morning.  When  the  children  first  come  they  may  show  to 
the  teacher  and  to  each  other  their  gifts  for  the  children  at 
the  Orphanage.  Each  child  may  put  his  own  gift  in  the  big 
box  and  a  Christmas  card  with  a  message  dictated  by  the 
children  may  be  placed  on  the  top  of  the  box.  Then  the 
lid  may  be  fastened  on  and  the  box  delivered  to  the  express- 
man when  he  calls. 

The  Christmas  tree  is  brought  in  and  decorated  by  the  chil- 
dren and  the  teacher,  with  a  silver  star  at  the  top,  lights  among 
the  branches,  chains  and  silver  glitter.  The  gifts  for  father 
and  mother  may  be  placed  on  a  table  beneath. 

Greeting: 

As  the  fathers  and  mothers  arrive  they  may  be  greeted 
by  the  children  and  shown  the  tree.  The  "Good  Morning" 
song  may  be  sung  and  the  little  greeting  game  may  be 
played. 

Song  and  dance: 

The  children  will  show  the  beautiful  Christmas  tree  to  their 
138 


THE  CHRISTMAS  FESTIVAL  139 

fathers  and  mothers.  The  lights  may  be  turned  on  and  the 
children  may  sing  the  Christmas  Tree  song.  Then  they  may 
take  hands  and  dance  the  "Happiest  Skip"  about  it.  Perhaps 
some  of  the  mothers  and  fathers  will  come  and  dance  with 
them. 

Story: 

The  story  of  the  Birth  of  the  Christ-child  may  be  told 
to  the  mothers  and  fathers,  or,  if  preferred,  one  of  the 
following  may  be  substituted :  "The  Promise,"  by  Maude 
Lindsay,  in  The  Storyteller;  "Gretchen,"  by  Maude  Lindsay, 
in  Mother  Stories;  "Why  the  Chimes  Rang,"  by  McDonald 
Alden,  in  Why  the  Chimes  Rang. 

Hymn: 

After  the  story  Luther's  "Cradle  Hymn"  may  be  sung  and 
also  "Silent  Night."  The  fathers  and  mothers  may  be  asked 
to  sing  "Silent  Night"  with  the  children. 

Prayer : 

Dear  Father,  we  thank  thee  for  Christmas  and  the  dear 
Christ-child,  for  our  mothers  and  fathers,  and  for  everything 
that  makes  us  glad  to-day. 

Gifts: 

The  children  may  get  their  gifts  and  take  them  to  their 
mothers  and  fathers.  The  teacher  will  call  them  one  at  a  time 
as  she  reads  the  name  on  each  package. 

A  small  remembrance  for  each  child  should  be  provided  by 
the  teacher,  if  it  is  only  a  Christmas  card.  Little  children 
should  not  be  expected  to  give  all  and  receive  nothing  in  re- 
turn. They  are  entirely  satisfied  with  the  tiniest  gift  if  they 
are  not  forgotten.  This  gift  should  come  as  a  glad  surprise  at 
the  end  of  the  festival. 


LESSON  XXVIII 
AFTER-CHRISTMAS  PLAY 

As  the  children  return  after  the  Christmas  holiday  much 
time  should  be  spent  in  greeting  each  one.  There  will  be  new 
winter  garments  which  have  been  purchased  or  made  in  the 
vacation,  and  there  will  be  much  that  each  child  will  want  to 
tell  the  teacher  before  the  group  come  together.  When  the 
group  gathers,  the  greeting  song  may  be  sung  and  played,  and 
the  children  given  ample  opportunity  to  express  their  happi- 
ness in  being  back  again. 

Conversation: 

This  ought  to  be  one  of  the  most  delightful  conversation 
periods  of  the  year,  for  all  the  children  will  want  to  hear 
what  each  one  received  for  Christmas  and  what  he  has  been 
doing  in  the  holidays.  It  will  require  no  little  self-control 
to  secure  a  hearing  for  one  child  at  a  time. 

"I  have  a  new  dolly.   She  can  walk,"  Marjorie  will  say. 

"We  went  to  my  grandma's  for  Christmas,"  will  be  Mary's 
contribution. 

"I  brought  my  new  skates  this  morning  that  Santa  Claus 
gave  me.  Do  you  want  to  see  them?"  Bobbie  will  eagerly 
inquire. 

Activity: 

In  order  that  the  conversation  may  not  result  in  restless- 
ness before  all  have  had  a  chance  to  contribute,  the  teacher 
will  encourage  dramatic  activity  from  time  to  time.  Mar- 
jorie may  show  how  her  dollie  walks,  and  all  the  children 

140 


AFTER-CHRISTMAS  PLAY  141 

may  walk  like  dollies.  Bobbie  may  get  his  skates  and  show 
them;  then  all  the  children  may  play  skating  by  gliding  over 
the  floor  as  they  have  done  before. 

Song: 

Some  one  will  be  sure  to  tell  about  the  home  Christmas  tree, 
and  then  the  children  will  recall  the  Christmas  Tree  song. 

If  they  wish,  they  may  play  that  they  have  a  Christmas  tree 
and  may  make  a  ring  about  it  and  dance.  The  other  Christ- 
mas'songs,  Luther's  "Cradle  Hymn,"  and  "Silent  Night,"  will 
be  asked  for  too,  and  the  beautiful  pictures  looked  over  once 
again.  This  recall  not  only  gives  the  children  joy  but  it 
is  a  means  of  bringing  them  together  again  and  of  enabling 
them  to  share  their  individual  interests. 

Prayer: 

The  prayer  should  be  one  of  sincere  gratitude  for  all  the 
joys  of  Christmas.  Perhaps  the  teacher  may  suggest  that 
the  children  tell  her  what  they  would  like  to  thank  God  for 
and  they  will  say  for  "my  drum,"  for  "my  doll,"  for  "the 
Christmas  tree,"  for  "my  sled,"  for  "my  cars."  She  can  in- 
clude as  many  of  these  in  the  prayer  as  she  remembers,  en- 
couraging each  child  to  pray  to  God  himself. 

Handwork : 

The  children  may  have  manila  paper  and  crayon  and  may 
draw  any  part  of  the  Christmas  experience  that  they  wish. 
Some  of  the  children  can  express  themselves  with  this 
medium  as  they  could  not  through  language,  and  all  will 
enjoy  the  further  opportunity  to  make  realistic  their  toys, 
Christmas  trees,  and  possibly  the  whole  story  of  Christ- 
mas Eve  or  Christmas  morning.  The  teacher  can  draw 
from  the  children  the  story  of  any  gifts  which  they  gave, 
she  can  also  tell  of  the  glad  appreciation  of  the  toys  which 


142       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

they  sent  to  the  orphan  children  for  Christmas.  She  ought  to 
have  a  letter  from  these  children  which  could  be  read  at  this 
time,  or,  better  still,  the  report  of  a  visit  which  she  has  paid 
in  the  vacation  to  the  Orphanage  and  of  her  observation  of 
the  children  with  their  toys. 

Story:  The  Toy  Party. 

If  there  is  time  before  the  closing,  the  following  story  may 
be  told : 

Once  upon  a  day  there  were  some  children  who  went  back 
to  school  after  a  vacation.  They  told  the  teacher  all  about 
their  toys  and  then  they  asked  her  if  they  could  bring  them 
to  school  for  her  to  see.  She  said  that  each  child  could  bring 
one  toy  on  the  next  day. 

"I  know  what  I  will  bring,"  said  Bobbie,  "I'll  bring  my 
engine !" 

"And  I'm  going  to  bring  my  story  of  The  Three  Bears," 
said  Eleanor. 

"I'll  bring  my  new  doll  if  mother  will  let  me,"  said  Jane. 

While  the  other  children  were  planning,  Joseph  was  very 
quiet.  By  and  by  the  rest  noticed  that  he  had  not  told  what  he 
would  bring.  "What  will  you  bring,  Joseph?"  they  asked. 

Joseph  shook  his  head. 

"Didn't  you  get  anything  for  Christmas?"  they  questioned. 

"Yes,"  said  Joseph,  slowly,  "I  got  a  sled  and  a  horn.  But 
I  couldn't  bring  the  sled  indoors,  and  the  horn  is  broke." 

When  the  children  came  the  next  morning,  Bobbie  had  his 
engine,  Eleanor  had  the  story  of  The  Three  Bears,  Jane  was 
carrying  her  new  doll,  Sarah  had  a  Red  Cross  Doll,  John  had 
an  aeroplane,  and  Maurice  had  a  funny  movie  man  and  a  bag 
of  marbles.  Joseph  had  nothing,  and  his  face  was  very  sober. 
Everybody  else  was  talking  and  laughing  and  at  first  no  one 
noticed  Joseph. 


AFTER-CHRISTMAS  PLAY  143 

They  sat  down  on  the  floor  in  a  ring,  each  one  holding  his 
own  toy  and  showing  it  to  his  next-door  neighbor.  Maurice 
began  to  make  the  funny  movie  man  jump  around;  he  had 
arms  that  would  wiggle,  legs  that  would  wiggle,  and  his  head 
bobbed  up  and  down.  The  children  shouted  as  Maurice  jerked 
him  about,  and  made  him  hop  and  skip  and  bow  and  bend. 

"But  Maurice,"  the  children  said,  "how  can  you  play  with 
two  toys?" 

Sure  enough  Maurice  could  not  even  hold  the  marbles  when 
he  was  making  the  movie  man  walk.  Then  the  children  spied 
Joseph;  he  was  feeling  so  sad  without  any  toy  that  the  movie 
man  could  not  make  him  laugh. 

"Maurice,"  said  the  children,  "Joseph  hasn't  any  toy;  he 
broke  his  horn  and  he  couldn't  bring  his  sled  indoors." 

"I  know  what  I'll  do,"  said  Maurice.  "I'll  let  him  play  with 
the  movie  man !" 

Dismissal : 

The  teacher  may  invite  each  child  to  bring  one  toy  on  the 
following  day  for  her  to  see,  and  for  the  other  children  to 
enjoy. 


LESSON  XXIX 
AFTER-CHRISTMAS  PLAY  (CONTINUED) 

IN  the  bringing  of  their  toys  the  children  will  take  great 
pleasure,  and  we  would  have  them  associate  with  these  hours 
their  happiest  experiences.  The  teacher  will  have  the  oppor- 
tunity in  this  situation  to  encourage  them  to  share  their  toys 
with  one  another  in  an  unselfish  way  and  to  show  them  how 
to  play  with  toys  in  the  right  way.  She  can  set  a  standard 
for  the  home  play  which  could  not  be  done  so  well  in  any 
other  way.  The  hour  may  be  devoted  to  examining,  talk- 
ing about,  and  playing  with  the  toys;  and  in  reading  any 
story  which  may  be  suitable.  The  teacher  is  an  active  partici- 
pant in  this  joyous  hour,  never  an  outsider.  If  she  has  a  doll 
or  some  other  childhood  toy  which  she  can  bring  with  her  this 
day,  it  will  make  the  tie  between  her  and  the  children  the 
closer. 

Conversation  and  song: 

As  the  children  show  their  toys,  they  will  want  to  talk 
about  them.  They  may  let  the  other  children  handle  and  test 
them.  If  an  engine  is  brought  in,  the  following  song  will 
add  new  interest  to  the  play : 

"Hear  the  engine  puff, 
Engine  puff,  engine  puff, 
Hear  the  engine  puff, 
Engine  puff — choo,  choo ! 

"Hear  the  whistle  blow, 
Whistle  blow,  whistle  blow, 
Hear  the  whistle  blow, 
Whistle  blow— toot,  toot! 
144 


AFTER-CHRISTMAS  PLAY  145 

"Hear  the  big  bell  ring, 
Big  bell  ring,  big  bell  ring, 
Hear  the  big  bell  ring, 
Big  bell  ring — ding,  dong! 

"Hear  the  brakeman  shout, 
Brakeman  shout,  brakeman  shout, 
Hear  the  brakeman  shout, 
Brakeman  shout — 'All  aboard !'  " 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

As  the  dolls  are  exhibited  by  their  fond  mothers,  their 
names  may  be  told  and  their  abilities  related.  The  right  care  of 
the  doll  prepares  for  the  right  attitude  toward  the  real  baby. 
The  little  boys  may  be  encouraged  to  take  care  of  the  dolls  too, 
for,  as  one  little  fellow  once  remarked :  "I  can  have  a  doll. 
They's  just  as  many  papas  in  the  world  as  mammas."  This 
song  will  tell  the  child's  joy  and  interest  in  the  doll  better  than 
she  can  tell  it  herself  : 

"I've  a  dear  little  dolly; 

She  has  eyes  of  bright  blue; 
She  can  open  and  shut  them, 
And  she  smiles  at  me  too. 

"In  the  morning  I  dress  her 

And  we  go  out  to  play, 
But  I  like  best  to  hold  her 
At  the  close  of  the  day." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

Prayer: 

When  the  children  are  quiet  as  they  sing  the  song  about 
the  dolly,  a  prayer  may  be  used,  as,  "Dear  heavenly  Father, 
we  thank  you  for  all  the  toys.  Help  us  to  take  good  care 
of  them  and  to  share  them." 


146       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

Play: 

As  much  time  as  is  left  may  be  devoted  to  play  with  the 
toys  in  which  the  suggestions  made  at  the  beginning  of  this 
lesson  shall  be  followed  by  the  teacher. 


LESSON  XXX 
THE  LIGHTS  AT  NIGHT 

THE  star  of  Bethlehem  interests  the  children  in  the  stars, 
which  are  very  bright  and  beautiful  at  this  season  of  the  year, 
and  appear  early  enough  in  the  evening  for  the  child  occasion- 
ally to  see  them.  The  sun,  the  stars,  and  the  moon  are  among 
the  greatest  wonders  of  the  creation  to  the  child,  and,  like 
primitive  man,  the  thought  of  God  as  their  Creator  fills  him 
with  gratitude.  Almost  every  little  child  too  is  afraid  of  the 
dark  and  often  dreads  going  to  bed.  He  therefore  needs  and 
welcomes  the  thought  of  God's  watchfulness  while  he  sleeps 
as  evidenced  in  the  gifts  of  the  moon  and  the  stars. 

Greeting : 

In  using  the  greeting  song  and  letting  the  children  greet 
one  another  freely  and  skip  together,  the  necessary  physical 
activity  may  be  introduced  which  will  prepare  for  the  quiet 
talk  later.  If  it  is  a  snowy  day,  the  children  may  play  float- 
ing; if  it  is  cold,  they  may  slide  or  skip  or  clap  hands  to 
the  rhythm  (using  any  previous  suggestions  for  winter  ac- 
tivity). In  the  quiet  talk  a  change  of  position  will  often  rest 
the  children  if  it  is  evident  that  they  are  sitting  still  too  long 
for  comfort.  Standing  to  repeat  a  verse  or  sing  a  song  will 
introduce  the  necessary  variation. 

Songs : 

Opportunity  for  choosing  songs  may  be  given  and  the 
songs  will  probably  include  many  favorites :  the  "Doll  Song," 
"The  Christmas  Tree,"  "Silent  Night/'  and  Luther's  "Cradle 

147 


148       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

Hymn."     As  the  children  sing  Luther's  "Cradle  Hymn"  the 
teacher  may  call  attention  to  the  lines : 

"The  stars  in  the  heavens 

Looked  down  where  he  lay, 
The  little  Lord  Jesus 
Asleep  on  the  hay." 

The  teacher  and  the  children  may  talk  about  the  one  bright 
star,  the  star  of  Bethlehem,  which  showed  the  shepherds  and 
others  where  the  Christ-child  was  sleeping.  If  the  teacher  can 
find  a  picture  of  the  night  sky  showing  the  stars  as  points  of 
light,  the  children  will  be  deeply  interested. 

Conversation: 

They  will  begin  to  tell  about  their  own  experiences  in  see- 
ing the  stars  at  night — where  and  when  they  saw  them. 
The  teacher  can  use  the  following  poem  to  bring  this 
common  experience  nearer  and  to  connect  with  the  stars 
at  night  the  idea  of  watchfulness.  The  children  will  enjoy 
hearing  it  repeated  several  times,  and  will  perhaps  try  to  join 
in  saying  it : 

Verse: 

"Every  night  a  star, 

High  above  me, 

Sends  its  light,  clear  and  bright, 
To  say,  'I  love  thee.' 

"In  my  bed  I  lie, 

But  not  sleeping; 
From  afar  calls  the  star, 
'My  watch  I'm  keeping.'  " 

Handwork : 

A  circle  of  dark-blue  paper  and  a  stout  pin  may  be  given 
to  each  child  and  he  may  prick  the  circle  full  of  holes — the 


THE  LIGHTS  AT  NIGHT  149 

more  irregularly  they  are  put  in  the  better.  When  he  has 
finished  and  holds  his  paper  up  to  the  light,  it  gives  a  miniature 
representation  of  the  starry  sky  at  night. 

Conversation : 

The  teacher  may  ask  the  children  if  they  do  not  suggest 
themselves,  "What  else  gives  light  at  night  besides  the  stars?" 
Pictures  of  the  moon  may  be  shown,  and  the  children  will 
tell  their  experiences  with  it — the  full  moon,  the  half  moon, 
the  quarter  moon,  its  path  on  the  water,  its  riding  under 
the  clouds.  The  following  song  may  be  sung  and  then  repeated 
until  all  are  singing: 

"See  the  big  round  moon  up  high, 
Sailing,  sailing  in  the  sky. 
Now  the  dark  clouds  riding  over 
Hide  from  view  the  lovely  rover. 
Forth  she  bursts  again  to  sight — 
Silver  moon  a-shining  bright." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

They  will  talk  about  the  sun  shining  in  the  day  and  will 
make  comparisons  between  the  size  of  the  stars  and  the  moon 
and  sun,  and  also  the  brightness.  "Who  made  the  sun  to  shine 
in  the  day  and  the  moon  and  the  stars  to  give  light  at  night  ?" 
the  teacher  may  ask.  "God,"  the  children  will  answer,  rever- 
ently and  without  hesitation.  The  teacher  may  read  them  the 
verse  from  the  Bible  which  tells  about  God  making  the  lights ; 
they  have  all  without  doubt  seen  a  Bible  and  will  recognize 
it  as  the  teacher  uses  it.  She  can  tell  them  that  it  is  the  book 
which  has  the  stories  in  it  about  Moses,  Samuel,  and  the  little 
Christ-child.  She  handles  it  with  love  and  reverence:  "And 
God  made  two  great  lights;  the  greater  light  to  rule  the  day, 
and  the  lesser  light  to  rule  the  night :  He  made  the  stars 
also," 


150       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

Evening  prayer: 

"In  my  wee  bed  I  lie, 
While  the  moon  climbs  the  sky; 
I  pray  you,  dear  Lord,  to  keep 
Close  by  me  while  I  sleep." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

Prayer: 

The  prayer  may  be  sung  instead  of  spoken. 


LESSON  XXXI 
THE  LIGHTS  AT  NIGHT  (CONTINUED) 

THE  pictures  of  the  moon  and  stars  will  recall  the  song 
about  the  Lovely  Moon  and  the  verse,  Every  Night.  Perhaps 
the  children  have  looked  at  the  moon  and  the  stars  since  they 
last  met  together.  If  so,  they  will  want  to  talk  about  their 
impressions.  Again  and  again  the  song  or  the  verse  may  be 
woven  in  during  this  conversation. 

Story:  The  Moon  is  Watching! 

It  was  time  to  go  to  bed.  Very  reluctantly  Marjorie  put 
away  her  blocks  and  went  upstairs  with  mother.  Daddy 
promised  to  come  up  later  and  kiss  her  good  night  if  she 
did  not  cry  when  mother  turned  out  the  light. 

Slowly  Marjorie  pulled  off  first  one  shoe  and  then  the  other, 
and  very  slowly  she  unfastened  her  clothes  and  put  them 
away  as  she  took  them  off.  When  mother  had  told  her  the 
bed-time  story  cuddled  in  the  big  rocking  chair,  Marjorie 
slipped  on  her  knees  and  said  her  little  prayer.  Then  the 
moment  had  come  which  Marjorie  dreaded.  She  must  climb 
into  bed,  after  which  mother  would  turn  out  the  light  and  leave 
her  alone  in  the  dark. 

"Please,  mother,"  said  Marjorie,  trying  very  hard  not  to 
cry,  "couldn't  you  leave  the  light  on  a  little  longer?"  Mother 
seemed  not  to  hear,  because  before  Marjorie  realized  what 
had  happened  she  had  turned  out  the  light  and  was  raising 
the  shades  at  the  windows  and  pushing  the  curtains  back.  A 
soft  silvery  light  flooded  the  room,  and  as  Marjorie  sat  up 
in  her  little  bed  she  could  see  the  big  yellow  moon  peeking 
through  the  clouds  at  her. 


152       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

"The  moon  is  watching  you,"  said  mother.   "Snuggle  ^. 
in  your  little  bed  and  go  to  sleep."   Marjorie  lay  very  still  and 
mother  sang : 

"Sleep,  my  child,  and  peace  attend  thee, 

All  through  the  night ; 
Guardian  angels  God  will  send  thee, 

All  through  the  night. 
Through  the  open  window  streaming, 
Moonlight  on  the  floor  is  gleaming, 
While  my  baby  lies  a-dr earning, 
All  through  the  night." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 
(Welsh  Air,  "All  Through  the  Night.") 

By  and  by  daddy  came  upstairs  to  kiss  his  little  girl  good 
night,  and — what  do  you  think  ?  He  found  mother  still  singing 
softly,  the  moon  still  peeping  through  the  clouds,  but  Mar- 
jorie was  sound  asleep ! 

Conversation: 

The  children  may  talk  of  their  babies  at  home  and  how 
God  watches  when  they  sleep.  They  may  sing  the  lullaby 
thinking  of  their  babies. 

Prayer : 

Dear  heavenly  Father,  we  thank  you  for  watching  while  we 
sleep  and  while  our  babies  sleep. 

Handwork : 

The  children  may  make  a  poster  picture  by  cutting  out 
a  moon  from  yellow  paper  and  the  little  house  where  Marjorie 
lived  from  black  paper.  They  may  paste  black  ground  on  a 
dark  blue  which  represents  the  sky  at  night.  Then  the 
house  may  be  mounted  on  the  ground  and  the  moon  in  the 
sky.  The  children  will  like  to  sing  the  lullaby  as  they  finish. 


LESSON  XXXII 
THE  CHRIST-CHILD 

THE  child  likes  to  think  of  the  Christ-child  growing  as  does 
his  baby.  The  naming  of  Jesus  very  simply  told  is  understood 
and  appreciated.  Unless  the  growth  of  the  Christ-child  is  sug- 
gested in  a  few  pictures  and  stories  the  child  will  never  con- 
nect the  man  Jesus  with  the  infant.  The  steps  in  the  growth 
bring  the  Christ-child  much  nearer  and  the  little  child  rejoices 
to  see  the  likeness  to  himself. 

Greeting: 

As  the  children  greet  one  another  they  will  enjoy  a 
little  game  of  guessing  who  calls  the  name  while  the  eyes 
are  closed.  First  one  and  then  another  may  have  a  turn  until 
all  have  had  a  chance  to  call  the  name  of  a  playmate  who  is 
blindfolded.  One  must  know  one's  friends  very  well  to  tell 
them  by  the  voice ;  so  this  game  presumes  a  more  intimate  ac- 
quaintance than  was  at  first  possible. 

Songs: 

Among  the  songs  suggested,  the  teacher  may  ask  if  any 
of  the  children  have  sung  to  their  babies  the  lullaby,  "All 
Through  the  Night."  Very  softly,  as  if  the  babies  were 
present,  rocking  gently  to  the  music,  the  children  may  sing  this 
lullaby  over  several  times. 

Pictures  and  conversation: 

The  teacher  may  ask  the  children  questions  about  their 
babies:  how  old  they  are,  what  their  names  are,  what  they 
can  do.  The  children  will  be  delighted  to  tell  all  that  they 

153 


154       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

know.  They  will  measure  to  show  how  big  their  babies  are, 
and  they  will  tell  about  the  names  and  what  the  babies  can  do : 
crowing,  cooing,  pulling  hair,  laughing,  holding  out  the  arms, 
dropping  objects,  creeping,  and  making  sounds  for  the  various 
members  of  the  family.  The  teacher  can  show  the  picture  of 
the  "Madonna  of  the  Chair,"  and  ask  them  if  they  think  the 
Christ-child  grew  like  their  babies.  Does  he  look  any  bigger 
than  he  does  in  the  picture  of  the  Nativity  (by  Le  Rolle)  ? 
When  he  was  a  very  small  baby  his  mother  and  father  called 
him  by  the  name  "Jesus,"  and  they  took  him  to  the  temple — 
the  name  for  their  church — and  they  gave  him  to  God  as 
Samuel's  mother  gave  Samuel  to  God.  They  knew  that  he 
was  God's  Son  even  more  than  he  was  their  son.  The  picture 
of  the  Presentation  in  the  Temple  (by  Champaigne)  may  be 
shown. 

Then  the  picture  of  "Repose  in  Egypt"  (by  Benz)  may  be 
used  and  the  teacher  may  continue  the  story.  When  Jesus  was 
older  still,  Mary  and  Joseph  took  another  journey  with  him. 
Mary  and  Jesus  rode  on  the  little  donkey  and  Joseph  walked 
beside  them.  As  we  see  them  in  the  picture  Jesus  is  resting  on 
his  mother's  lap  and  Joseph  is  bringing  them  some  water  in 
the  jar.  Jesus  can  now  sit  up  very  straight;  he  can  laugh  and 
coo  and  crow  like  your  baby;  he  can  clap  his  hands  and  pull 
and  push  and  creep  too,  I  think.  He  grew  stronger  and  taller 
every  day,  so  that  when  he  was  a  little  over  a  year  old  he  could 
walk  about.  He  loved  all  the  animals :  the  donkey,  the  oxen, 
the  foxes,  the  birds  and  the  sheep  and  lambs.  Murillo's  "Di- 
vine Shepherd"  may  be  shown ;  it  will  elicit  much  interest  and 
comment.  Then  "The  Christ-child,"  by  Murillo,  may  be 
studied;  this  child  is  about  the  age  of  the  kindergarten  child 
and  his  likeness  to'  them  will  immediately  be  recognized. 

"Now  he  is  just  like  me,"  John  will  say;  "Like  me,"  and 
"Like  me,"  and  "Like  me,"  will  follow  in  eager  succession  from 
the  others. 


THE  CHRIST-CHILD  155 

Prayer: 

Dear  Father,  we  thank  you  for  sending  the  Christ-child. 
We  are  glad  that  he  was  once  a  little  child  just  like  each  one 
of  us. 

Song:  The  Child  Jesus.    (Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

"The  dear  little  Jesus  once  lay  on  the  hay; 
He  slept  and  he  smiled  and  he  grew  day  by  day, 
Until  he  could  run  and  could  play  and  could  be 
A  help  to  his  mother,  like  you  and  like  me." 

Handwork: 

Three  or  four  of  the  pictures  in  the  miniature  size  may  be 
given  the  children.  A  piece  of  paper  about  6  by  9  inches 
may  be  given  each  child;  folded  once  it  will  make  a  little 
book  in  which  may  be  pasted  the  pictures.  If  there  is  suf- 
ficient time,  the  pictures  may  be  trimmed  before  pasting.  The 
teacher  will  encourage  the  children  to  talk  about  the  pictures 
as  they  do  the  pasting. 


LESSON  XXXIII 
WINTER  SPORT 

THE  material  suggested  for  this  lesson  may  be  used  at  any 
time  when  it  is  most  appropriate.  As  the  snowy  days  and  the 
cold  days  come  during  the  winter,  the  children  are  very  much 
interested  in  the  loveliness  of  the  out-of-doors,  and  very  jubi- 
lant over  the  sports  which  they  enjoy  with  the  ice  and  snow. 
There  is  a  rich  fund  of  song,  story,  and  verse  which  is  con- 
nected with  this  interest.  Here,  again,  is  the  teacher's  oppor- 
tunity to  connect  God  with  the  child's  life  as  the  giver  of  the 
winter  time. 

Rhythm: 

As  the  children  come  in  on  any  cold  or  snowy  day  they 
will  ask  for  the  plays  which  they  have  already  had;  the  skat- 
ing to  the  glide  and  the  floating  like  a  snowflake.  If  they 
have  been  sleigh-riding,  they  will  enjoy  making  a  sleigh  by 
having  four  or  five  children  take  hands;  a  couple  of  horses 
may  be  represented  by  two  other  children  attached  to  the  front 
of  the  sleigh;  another  child  may  be  the  driver.  If  the  teacher 
has  some  bells,  these  may  be  fastened  to  the  horses,  and  away 
the  driver  will  go,  stopping  now  and  then  to  take  one  or  more 
of  the  children  for  a  ride. 

Conversation : 

At  the  close  of  this  happy  experience  the  teacher  and  the 
children  may  talk  about  the  different  sports  that  the  winter 
brings :  skating,  sleigh-riding,  making  snowballs,  snowmen, 
snowhouses,  riding  in  their  sleds.  The  children  will  have 
many  happy  experiences  to  relate.  The  teacher  may  also 

156 


WINTER  SPORT  157 

lead  the  children  to  speak  of  the  icicles,  the  frost  pictures 
on  the  windows,  the  whiteness  of  the  snow.  She  may  call 
their  attention  if  it  is  a  clear  day  to  the  blueness  of  the 
sky;  if  it  is  cloudy  to  the  soft  gray  of  the  snow  clouds.  On  a 
snowy  day  some  of  the  snowflakes  may  be  caught  on  a  dark 
piece  of  cloth  and  examined — the  pretty  forms  delighting  the 
children. 

Verse  and  prayer: 

When  the  joy  and  the  wonder  of  the  children  have  been 
aroused  the  teacher  may  associate  God  with  the  wintertime  by 
bringing  the  following  verse  (from  the  "Winter  Hymn,"  by 
Agnes  R.  Bacon)  : 

"Winter  day,  frosty  day ! 
God  a  cloak  on  all  doth  lay. 
On  the  earth  the  snow  he  sheddeth, 
O'er  the  lamb  a  fleece  he  spreadeth, 
Gives  the  bird  a  coat  of  feather 
To  protect  it  from  the  weather, 
Gives  the  children  home  and  food, 
Let  us  thank  him — God  is  good!" 

The  teacher  may  repeat  the  verse  slowly  three  or  four  times, 
calling  the  attention  of  the  children  to  the  different  ideas  by 
questions  after  each  repetition,  as :  "What  does  God  give  the 
lamb  to  protect  it  in  the  winter?"  "What  kind  of  a  coat  does 
he  give  the  little  bird?" 

The  prayer  will  follow  very  whole-heartedly  from  the  verse : 
"Dear  heavenly  Father,  we  thank  you  for  the  wintertime. 
We  thank  you  for  the  fun  we  have  and  for  taking  care  of  us 
and  of  the  lambs  and  birds." 

Handwork: 

The  children  will  like  to  make  a  picture  of  the  snow.  They 
may  have  crayon  and  paper  and  may  put  in  the  blue  sky  and 


158      THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

perhaps  draw  a  boy  skating  or  playing  with  his  sled.  Any 
expression  of  the  winter  experience  will  be  welcomed.  If 
preferred,  white  paper  may  be  given  the  children,  which  they 
can  tear  into  small  pieces  representing  snowflakes ;  these  in 
turn  may  be  mounted  on  a  gray  sheet  to  resemble  the  falling 
snow  in  a  snow  storm. 

Song: 

The  song,  "Snowflakes,"  may  be  sung  to  the  children  at 
the  close  of  the  morning.  (Perhaps  they  will  wish  to  learn  it 
on  this  or  other  mornings.) 

"Little  snowflakes  falling  light 

Drift   across   the   fields   at   night. 
When  the  sun  shines  in  the  morning, 
All  the  world  is  dressed  in  white." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 


LESSON  XXXIV 
WINTER  COLD 

MOTHER'S  and  father's  part  in  making  the  little  child  com- 
fortable for  the  winter  was  developed  in  the  autumn  talks  and 
stories.  The  child  also  is  in  contact  with  the  workers  in  the 
community  who  come  to  his  home  or  to  whom  he  goes  with 
father  or  mother.  They  interest  him  very  much,  and  he  often 
spontaneously  imitates  their  activities.  His  relation  to  them 
is  appreciated  as  he  watches  them,  plays,  and  talks  about  them. 
An  attitude  of  friendliness  and  admiration  develops  which 
makes  for  cooperation  and  which  is  an  excellent  preparation 
for  the  later  right  adjustment  of  social  relations.  Unless 
the  child  has  had  the  kindergarten  experience  it  will  be  well 
for  the  teacher  of  religion  to  confine  herself  to  the  developing 
of  one  topic,  using  the  others  incidentally.  Suggestive  material 
is  outlined  here  from  which  the  teacher  may  choose  the  most 
appropriate  for  her  special  group. 

Rhythm  and  song: 

The  children  may  ask  to  repeat  the  sleighride  play  or  some 
one  of  the  other  winter  activities  suggested  under  the  last  topic. 
The  song,  "Snowflakes,"  may  be  repeated. 

Story:  The  Great  Snow. 

The  following  story  of  The  Great  Snow,  developed  from 
a  real  experience,  will  be  most  interesting  in  recalling  some- 
what similar  experiences  that  the  children  may  have  had, 
as  well  as  in  helping  them  to  realize  their  dependence  upon  the 
comforts  of  home  and  the  cooperation  of  the  community 
workers. 

159 


160      THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

One  Sunday  afternoon  in  the  winter,  Ned  and  Helen  and 
father  and  mother  were  sitting  around  their  cozy  grate  fire 
when  it  began  to  snow.  Sometimes  the  snow-flakes  come  down 
lazily  and  the  covering  over  the  earth  gathers  very  slowly, 
but  this  afternoon  it  was  quite  the  opposite :  the  air  was  white 
with  flying  snow  crystals  which  fell  fast  and  furiously.  Helen 
and  Ned  glued  their  faces  to  the  window  pane  and  tried  in 
vain  to  see  Mary's  house  down  the  street ;  but  it  was  well  hid- 
den from  view  by  the  sheet  of  white  in  the  air. 

When  they  went  to  bed  it  was  still  snowing,  and  the  last 
word  that  father  said  was:  "Well,  I  shall  need  some  help  in 
shoveling  snow  to-morrow  morning.  I  wonder  if  I  shall  have 
any  volunteers."  Sure  enough,  when  morning  came  it  had 
stopped  snowing,  but  there  was  indeed  need  of  shoveling.  The 
walks,  the  porches,  the  chicken  house,  even  the  fences  were 
covered,  and  in  places  the  snow  was  drifted  higher  than  Ned's 
head,  and  Ned  was  eight  years  old. 

When  the  family  sat  down  to  breakfast  mother  said,  "I  am 
very  sorry,  but  we  haven't  any  cream  for  the  oatmeal  this 
morning  and  no  milk  for  the  children  to  drink.  The  milkman 
hasn't  been  here  yet." 

"I  guess  he  couldn't  get  around  until  the  streets  are  plowed 
and  the  people  shovel  their  walks,"  said  father.  "Have  I  any 
volunteers  for  shoveling  this  morning?" 

"I  want  to  shovel,"  said  Ned. 

"I  do  too,"  said  Helen. 

"Fine,  fine,"  cried  father.    "Let's  get  at  it  right  away." 

"I  hope  you  shovel  fast,"  said  mother,  "and  that  everybody 
else  along  our  street  gets  to  work,  because  I  need  some  bread 
and  butter  and  sugar.  The  delivery  wagon  can't  call  with  the 
snow  piled  up  like  this." 

"Don't  you  worry,  mother,"  said  father,  "we'll  do  our  best!" 

Father  with  his  big  shovel  forged  ahead  and  broke  the  path 
while  Ned  and  Helen  with  their  small  shovels  came  after  and 


WINTER  COLD  161 

made  it  wider,  cleaning  the  snow  away  more  carefully.  Finally 
when  they  reached  the  street,  puffing  and  blowing  from  the 
heavy  work,  they  saw  Mary  and  her  father  and  Jimmie  and 
his  father  just  emerging  from  their  walks.  There  also  was 
the  big  snow  plow  with  the  old  horses  tugging  and  sweating 
away  as  they  cleared  a  path  down  the  road. 

"Run  in  quick,  Helen,"  said  father,  "and  tell  mother  to 
order  her  groceries.  She  can  tell  the  grocer  that  his  delivery 
wagon  can  come  down  our  street  and  that  his  boy  will  find 
the  walk  clean  to  our  front  door." 

Helen  told  mother;  mother  called  the  grocer;  the  delivery 
wagon  came,  and  a  very  hungry  family  sat  down  to  a  good 
dinner  with  bread  and  .butter,  meat  and  potatoes,  and,  best 
of  all,  a  cake  that  mother  had  baked  with  the  sugar. 

Conversation : 

After  the  story  the  children  will  want  to  talk  about  their 
experiences  in  getting  food  in  the  winter  cold.  The  teacher 
can  gradually  guide  the  conversation  to  a  discussion  about  the 
milkman,  where  he  gets  the  milk,  how  he  bottles  it  and  his 
plan  of  delivery;  to  the  grocer  and  the  baker  (in  many  places 
to-day  the  two  are  combined  with  the  meat  market),  what  he 
sells,  how  he  keeps  it,  how  he  delivers  it.  Pictures  of  the  milk- 
man, the  grocer,  the  baker,  the  cows  that  furnish  the  milk 
may  be  provided  and  will  aid  in  recalling  images  connected 
with  previous  experience. 

Excursion: 

The  children  may  make  an  excursion  to  a  nearby  grocery, 
may  call  the  milkman  over  the  telephone  asking  him  to  de- 
liver a  few  bottles  of  milk  at  the  school.  At  the  grocery  they 
will  not  only  see  all  that  they  have  talked  about  but  they  can 
purchase  bread  and  butter. 


162      THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

Party: 

After  the  return  a  party  with  bread  and  butter  and  milk 
may  be  held.  The  children's  appreciation  of  these  helpers 
will  be  keener  after  this  experience.  The  following  prayer 
may  be  used  before  the  party :  Dear  heavenly  Father,  we  thank 
you  for  the  grocer  and  the  milkman  and  for  everybody  who 
helps  to  provide  our  food. 


LESSON  XXXV 
WINTER  COLD  (CONTINUED) 

As  the  children  come  in  on  a  cold  winter  day  they  are  very 
conscious  of  their  warm  wrappings — caps  or  hoods,  mittens, 
leggings,  coats,  and  furs.  They  will  talk  about  them  as  they 
hang  them  up  and  will  readily  continue  the  conversation  as 
they  gather  in  the  group.  The  teacher  may  question  them  as 
to  where  the  different  articles  came  from.  Some  of  the  chil- 
dren will  report  that  mother  made  the  coat  or  the  leggings  or 
the  hood;  others  will  state  that  they  purchased  theirs  at  the 
store,  and  still  others  will  mention  the  dressmaker  or  the 
tailor. 

Excursion : 

It  will  be  interesting  and  instructive  in  establishing  social 
relationships  to  visit  the  store  or  the  shop  of  the  dressmaker 
or  tailor.  The  children  are  especially  interested  in  the  tailor 
shop  with  its  high  tables,  with  its  tailors  sewing  busily,  cutting 
with  the  big  scissors,  measuring  customers  and  pressing  with 
the  great  irons. 

Conversation : 

When  they  return  from  the  excursion  the  teacher  may  help 
them  to  recall  the  principal  points  in  the  observation  as  they 
talk  it  over.  She  can  introduce  the  refrain  which  with  slightly 
changed  words  may  be  used  for  each  helper : 

Song: 

"The  tailor  makes  our  clothing, 
The  tailor  makes  our  clothing, 
The  tailor  makes  our  clothing, 
While  we  go  round  about. 

163 


1 64       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

"While  we  go   round  about, 
While  we  go  round  about, 
The  tailor  makes  our  clothing, 
While  we  go  round  about." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

As  this  song  is  sung  the  children  may  march  in  a  circle. 

Dramatization: 

The  children  will  enjoy  playing  tailor  shop.  Let  them 
work  out  the  form  as  spontaneously  as  possible.  They  may 
choose  a  corner  of  the  room  for  the  tailor  shop,  and  if  they 
desire  can  fit  it  up  with  tables,  the  kindergarten  shears,  the 
iron  from  the  doll  house,  or  whatever  articles  suggest  them- 
selves as  appropriate.  There  may  be  two  or  more  tailors 
in  charge  of  the  shop,  and  then  there  may  be  two  or  more 
families  living  in  other  parts  of  the  room.  The  mother  or 
father  may  come  with  one  or  more  children  to  buy  coats  or 
suits.  The  tailors  can  take  measurements,  display  cloth  and 
tell  when  to  return  for  fittings.  And  so  the  play  will  con- 
tinue. 

Handwork: 

If  the  visit  to  the  tailor  or  dressmaker  cannot  be  made, 
the  teacher  may  talk  further  with  the  children  about  how 
garments  are  made.  If  there  is  a  doll  belonging  to  the  equip- 
ment, as  has  been  suggested,  winter  garments  may  be  cut 
from  cloth  and  sewed,  using  large  needles  and  yarn.  If 
real  dolls  are  not  available,  paper  dolls  may  be  used. 
Dresses  in  two  pieces  may  be  cut  from  construction  or  de- 
fender paper  and  may  be  overcast  with  raffia  or  yarn,  leaving 
the  openings  for  head,  arms,  and  feet. 


LESSON  XXXVI 
WINTER  COLD  (CONCLUDED) 

THE  children  may  recall  on  another  cold  day  the  food 
and  the  warm  clothing  that  have  helped  to  make  them 
comfortable  and  they  may  use  the  singing  game,  "The  tailor 
makes  our  clothing,"  supplying  for  the  other  helpers,  "The 
grocer  sells  the  butter,"  or  like  appropriate  expression.  Good 
pictures  of  any  of  these  helpers  or  activities  may  be  supplied 
by  the  teacher  if  desired. 

Conversation  and  object  and  picture  study : 

The  teacher  may  guide  them  to  the  helper  who  supplies  the 
shelter  from  the  cold  by  asking  them  where  the  birds  stay  in  the 
winter,  where  the  lambs  or  sheep  go  when  there  is  a  storm, 
and  where  the  little  children  are  safe  and  comfortable.  They 
will  think  at  once  of  the  various  forms  of  shelter  and  of  the 
carpenter  who  builds  them.  They  can  then  add  another  verse 
to  the  singing  game,  "The  carpenter  builds  our  houses."  Many 
of  the  children  have  had  experiences  with  the  carpenter  at  home 
and  know  how  he  works.  A  set  of  his  simpler  tools,  like  the 
hammer,  the  saw,  the  plane,  the  rule,  may  be  brought  in.  The 
children  may  examine  and  use  these  under  the  teacher's  care- 
ful supervision  so  that  they  will  appreciate  the  more 
the  carpenter's  skill  and  the  value  of  his  work.  Pic- 
tures of  the  carpenter  at  work  may  also  be  shown,  as  well  as 
of  the  homes  which  he  builds. 

Story :  The  New  Home. 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  family  of  eight  who  lived 
165 


166      THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

in  a  little  white  house  in  the  country.  The  little  house  had 
been  white  once,  but  now  it  was  gray,  the  shingles  on  the 
roof  were  tumbling  off,  the  chimneys  leaned,  and  there  were 
not  enough  rooms  for  the  size  of  the  family,  especially  when 
the  friends  came  to  see  them.  But  the  family  loved  the  little 
house;  it  was  home  to  them,  and  so  they  kept  putting  off  the 
building  of  another.  Besides,  the  father  had  none  too  much 
money  after  the  eight  hungry  mouths  were  filled. 

One  day,  however,  the  roof  caught  fire  from  one  of  the  old 
chimneys,  and  before  the  fire  engine  could  come  the  little 
house  had  burned  to  the  ground.  The  family  looked  at  the 
black  spot  where  it  had  stood  and  wondered  what  they  should 
do  for  a  home.  A  kind  neighbor  invited  them  to  live  in  his 
house  until  they  could  build  another,  but  "Where,"  said  the 
father,  "will  we  get  the  lumber  and  the  shingles  and  the  paint 
to  make  our  new  home  ?" 

Just  then  a  second  kind  neighbor  came  by.  "I'll  give  you  the 
lumber  from  the  old  house  that  I'm  tearing  down,"  said  he,  "if 
you'll  haul  it  away." 

"And  I,"  said  the  man  who  sold  shingles,  "will  sell  you 
shingles  enough  to  roof  your  house  at  just  what  they  cost  me." 

"When  you  get  ready  to  put  in  the  foundation  for  your  new 
house,"  said  a  fourth,  "I  and  my  boys  will  be  over  to  help 
you." 

Then  the  father  took  courage.  The  grown-up  sister  who 
was  away  at  school  sent  him  a  plan  for  the  new  house  with 
a  large  living  room  for  the  family  and  the  friends,  with  a  din- 
ing room  and  a  kitchen,  with  bed  rooms  for  the  two  big  boys, 
the  two  little  boys,  father,  mother,  and  the  baby,  and  for  sister 
when  she  came  home  from  school.  The  neighbor  and  father 
with  the  boys  put  in  the  foundation;  then  the  carpenters  ar- 
rived with  hammers  and  nails  and  saws  to  use  the  lumber  that 
father  had  hauled  from  the  old  house. 

When  the  last  shingle  had  been  nailed  to  the  roof,  mother 


WINTER  COLD  167 

began  to  move  in  with  the  little  boys  to  help  cany  things  from 
the  wagon  to  the  door.  It  did  not  take  long  to  settle  the 
family,  and  then  the  glad  day  arrived  when  sister  was  to  come 
home  from  school. 

Father  and  the  two  big  boys  met  her  at  the  train.  As  they 
drove  up  the  road  sister  clapped  her  hands  with  joy  to  see  the 
new  house  gleaming  white  with  its  fresh  coat  of  paint  and  on 
the  porch  the  two  little  boys  and  mother  with  the  baby  in  her 
arms. 

Prayer: 

After  the  story  the  children  will  be  full  of  gratitude  for 
their  homes  and  this  gratitude  may  be  expressed  in  the  prayer : 
"Dear  heavenly  Father,  we  thank  you  for  our  homes  and  for 
every  one  who  helped  to  build  them." 

Handwork : 

If  there  is  time  for  a  handwork  period,  crayon  and  paper 
may  be  used  and  each  child  may  make  a  picture  of  his  own 
home.  If  the  school  has  a  box  of  large  building  blocks,  each 
child  or  a  group  of  three  or  four  may  cooperate  in  the  build- 
ing of  a  house.  Or  houses  may  be  cut  from  paper  free- 
hand and  mounted  afterward. 


LESSON  XXXVII 
WINTER  BIRDS 

THE  child  can  do  for  the  birds  and  pets  in  the  winter  cold 
what  the  helpers  in  the  neighborhood  do  for  him.  He  can 
supply  the  home  and  food,  and  he  delights  in  doing  it.  His 
protecting  or  nurture  instinct  is  strong  at  this  time,  and  he 
likes  to  care  for  these  little  creatures  needing  his  help. 

Conversation  and  pictures: 

The  teacher  may  show  the  children  the  picture  of  "Robin 
Redbreast,"  by  Munier,  which  will  lead  to  a  talk  about  the 
birds  and  pets  in  the  winter. 

Verse: 

They  will  love  this  verse  by  Rossetti : 

"Bread  and  milk  for  breakfast, 
And  woolen  frocks  to  wear, 
And  a  crumb  for  robin  redbreast 
On  the  cold  days  of  the  year." 

The  little  boy  in  the  picture  is  feeding  bread  to  a  hungry  hen 
and  some  little  birds  in  the  snow.  The  children  will  tell  about 
the  little  birds  that  they  have  seen,  the  kinds  which  stay  north 
in  the  winter,  what  they  find  to  eat,  and  where  they  stay. 

Story :  Feeding  the  Birds. 

The  story,  "Feeding  the  Birds,"  may  be  told  by  the  teacher : 

One  day  in  the  winter  Margaret,  Jane,  and  Willard  were 
having  a  tea  party.  Margaret  and  Jane  were  sisters  and  Wil- 

168 


WINTER  BIRDS  169 

lard  was  the  little  boy  who  lived  next  door.  Whenever  Wil- 
lard  came  over  to  play  with  them  they  almost  always  had  a 
tea  party.  To-day  mother  had  brought  in  some  little  tea  cakes, 
thin  slices  of  bread  and  butter,  and  cambric  tea. 

As  they  were  eating  and,  of  course,  having  the  best  of  times, 
they  heard  a  mournful  little  sound  from  the  direction  of  the 
window — "Tweet,  tweet,  tweet." 

"What  is  that  noise?"  asked  Margaret. 

"It  sounds  like  a  little  bird,"  said  Jane. 

"I  am  going  to  find  out,"  and  Willard  ran  for  the  window. 
"Come  here,  quick,"  he  shouted. 

Margaret  and  Jane  ran  over  too,  and  there  outside  of  the 
window  perched  on  the  bare  branch  of  a  tree  were  one,  two, 
three,  four,  five  tiny  snow  birds.  They  were  huddled  close  to- 
gether, and  it  seemed  as  if  they  were  looking  in  the  window 
at  the  children. 

"I  guess  they  are  cold,"  said  Jane. 

"Maybe  they  are  hungry,"  said  Margaret. 

"Well,  I  should  think  they  would  be  hungry  with  the  snow 
all  over  the  ground.  How  can  they  get  any  worms?"  asked 
Willard. 

"I  know  what  we  will  do,"  cried  Jane.  "Let's  give  them 
some  of  our  tea  party." 

They  ran  back  to  the  table.  There  were  part  of  a  tea  cake 
and  some  crumbs  of  bread  and  a  bit  of  butter  left.  They  broke 
up  the  tea  cake  in  little  bits  and  they  brushed  all  of  the  crumbs 
carefully  upon  a  paper.  Margaret  carried  the  paper  very 
slowly  to  the  window  while  Jane  and  Willard  threw  it  open. 
They  sprinkled  the  crumbs  on  the  window  sill. 

They  waited  for  the  birds  to  come  over,  but  the  birds  looked 
at  the  crumbs,  then  at  the  children  and  waited  too. 

"Why  don't  they  hurry  up?"  said  Willard,  impatiently. 

Just  then  mother  opened  the  door  to  see  what  the  children 
were  doing.  When  they  told  her,  she  said,  "The  little  birds 


1 70       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

are  afraid  to  come  while  you  stand  very  near.    Come  back 
here  and  watch  what  will  happen." 

When  the  children  stepped  back,  the  little  birds  looked  at 
them  and  then  at  the  crumbs.  One  brave  little  bird  flew  over. 
He  ate  a  wee  morsel,  then  cocked  his  head  reassuringly  at  the 
other  birds.  Over  they  came — one,  two,  three,  four !  Now 
they  were  all  on  the  window  sill.  "Tweet,  tweet,  tweet,"  they 
said,  gayly,  as  they  ate  the  crumbs. 

Song: 

Following  the  story,  the  song  will  express  the  feeling 
aroused : 

"Hear  them  tweet,  tweet,  tweet, 
Little  birdies,  little  birdies, 
Hear  them  tweet,  tweet,  tweet, 
Let  us  give  them  crumbs  to  eat." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

Handwork: 

The  children  may  make  little  baskets  in  which  to  carry 
crumbs  to  the  birds.  The  same  basket  may  be  made  as  was 
used  in  the  fall.  Give  the  children  construction  paper  in  squares 
9  by  9  inches.  Fold  over  one  edge  one  third  the  distance  to 
the  other  edge ;  then  fold  the  other  edge  over  to  meet  the  new 
base  line.  Open  the  paper  and  cut  three  inches  on  either 
end  of  both  lines.  Fold  over  the  outer  squares  thus  made  and 
fasten  to  the  inner  square  with  a  brad  at  each  side ;  a  handle 
of  the  construction  paper  doubled  may  be  fastened  with  the 
same  brad. 

Activity : 

The  teacher  may  provide  bread  on  this  occasion  and  let 
the  children  put  some  of  the  crumbs  in  their  baskets.  They 
may  then  either  go  to  the  windows  and  scatter  the  crumbs 
outside  on  the  ledges,  or  they  may  walk  out  of  doors  scattering 


WINTER  BIRDS  171 

them  on  the  snow.    Should  some  birds  be  found,  the  delight 
of  the  children  will  be  very  great. 

Prayer: 

After  or  before  feeding  the  birds  the  following  prayer  may 
be  used :  "Dear  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  you  for  food  and 
homes.  Help  us  to  remember  the  birds  and  our  other  pets 
in  the  winter  time." 


LESSON  XXXVIII 
WHEN  JESUS  WAS  A  BOY 

ANOTHER  picture  is  taken  from  the  life  of  Jesus,  helping 
the  children  to  follow  his  growth  and  to  keep  his  identity. 
The  story  of  the  home  and  shop  activities  will  be  well  under- 
stood by  their  experiences  in  the  home  and  with  the  carpenter. 

Rhythm  and  song: 

The  children  will  like  to  recall  the  different  helpers  of  whom 
they  have  spoken  by  singing  and  playing,  "The  carpenter 
builds  our  houses,"  "The  tailor  makes  our  clothing,"  etc.  If 
the  teacher  suggests  the  name  of  the  helper  and  then  lets  the 
children  supply  the  appropriate  activity,  they  will  much  enjoy 
this  test  of  their  knowledge,  as  "The  carpenter  makes  our ." 

Picture  studies: 

If  any  of  the  children  have  fathers  who  are  carpenters, 
or  grocers,  or  tailors,  they  will  have  told  the  rest.  The 
teacher  may  ask  them  if  they  knew  that  Jesus's  father,  Joseph, 
was  a  carpenter.  She  may  show  them  the  picture  of  "Jesus 
in  the  Carpenter  Shop,"  by  Hofmann.  They  will  find  Joseph 
with  his  ax  and  beams  in  the  picture,  Jesus  carrying  the 
rules  to  Joseph,  and  Mary  watching  them.  They  will  like 
to  guess  how  old  Jesus  was  in  the  picture.  The  teacher 
may  tell  them  about  the  other  little  children  who  came  into 
the  home  at  Nazareth  and  how  Jesus  helped  Joseph  and  Mary 
in  caring  for  them.  A  little  later  the  teacher  may  show  them 
the  "Head  of  the  Boy  Christ,"  by  Hofmann.  How  old  do 
they  think  Jesus  is  now?  They  will  compare  him  to  their  big 

172 


WHEN  JESUS  WAS  A  BOY  173 

brothers.  They  will  then  want  to  tell  all  the  wonderful  things 
that  their  big  brothers  can  do — how  they  can  read,  spell,  write ; 
how  they  can  jump,  run,  throw  ball,  and  do  various  other 
feats.  Some  of  the  big  brothers  help  father  and  mother  and 
the  smaller  children.  Jesus  can  be  thought  of  as  growing  to 
be  a  big  brother  too,  and  a  very  strong  and  helpful  one. 

Songs : 

As  the  children  talk  about  Jesus  they  will  like  to  sing  once 
again  the  songs  which  they  have  associated  with  him :  "Silent 
Night,"  Luther's  "Cradle  Hymn,"  and  "The  Child  Jesus." 

Prayer : 

Dear  Father  in  heaven,  help  us  to  grow  strong  and  helpful, 
as  Jesus  did. 

Handwork : 

Small  copies  of  the  two  pictures  may  be  given  to  the  chil- 
dren which  they  can  cut  out  and  paste  in  a  folder.  A  sheet  of 
construction  paper  9  by  6  inches  folded  once  will  make  a 
desirable  size. 


LESSON  XXXIX 
VALENTINES  A  GIFT  OF  LOVE 

THERE  is  nothing  that  the  child  enjoys  more  than  making 
valentines  for  others  and  receiving  them  himself.  Valentine's 
Day  gives  another  opportunity  to  express  his  love  for  his 
friends.  God  is  thanked  for  the  valentines  and  is  thus  as- 
sociated with  one  more  happy  experience  of  the  child. 

Conversation : 

The  children  will  have  seen  the  valentines  in  the  shop  win- 
dows and  will  be  full  of  happy  anticipations  of  the  valentines 
they  are  to  receive.  The  teacher  accepts  their  confidences  and 
gives  them  expression  in  the  song,  "Valentines"  : 

"When  days  of  February  come  I  know  what  we  will  do — 
We'll  make  some  pretty  valentines  of  paper  red  and  blue. 
Valentines,  valentines,  oh,  they  tell  that  I  love  you ! 
Valentines,  valentines,  oh,  they  tell  that  you  love  me! 
When  days  of  February  come  then  valentines  we  see." 

Dance: 

A  happy  skip  may  best  interpret  the  joy  of  the  occasion. 
Each  child  may  choose*  a  partner  and  dance  gayly  about  the 
room. 

Story:  Valentines. 

On  a  certain  Saint  Valentine's  Day  the  children  in  a 
kindergarten  said,  "Let's  make  valentines." 

174 


VALENTINES  A  GIFT  OF  LOVE  175 

"Very  well,"  said  the  teacher,  "we  will  make  valentines. 
What  do  you  wish  to  make  them  with?" 

"Crayon  and  paste  and  scissors  and  paper,"  said  the  children. 
The  teacher  and  the  children  found  the  crayon,  the  paste,  the 
scissors  and  the  paper,  and  everybody  set  to  work  to  make 
valentines.  There  were  big  hearts  and  little  hearts  and  very 
tiny  hearts;  there  were  twin  hearts  and  folded  hearts  and 
hearts  that  open  and  shut. 

When  all  the  valentines  were  finished  the  teacher  called  the 
children.  "Do  you  know  the  secret  of  valentines?"  she  asked. 
The  children  shook  their  heads  and  so  she  whispered  it  to  them. 
"If  you  love  somebody,"  she  said,  "you  send  a  valentine  to 
tell  him." 

"I  love  my  father,"  said  John,  and  "I  love  my  mother," 
cried  Mary.  "I  love  my  baby,"  chimed  in  Elizabeth,  and  "I 
love  my  big  brother,"  shouted  Bill. 

The  teacher  wrote  these  names  on  the  valentines.  When 
John  went  home  he  said,  "Father,  shut  your  eyes."  Father 
shut  his  eyes  and  when  he  opened  them,  there  on  his  knee  was 
a  valentine. 

When  Mary  went  home  she  said,  "Mother,  shut  your  eyes," 
and  when  mother  opened  her  eyes,  there  on  the  table  was  a 
valentine. 

When  Elizabeth  went  home  she  said  to  her  baby,  "Shut 
your  eyes"  ;  but  the  baby  would  not  shut  his  eyes  and  Elizabeth 
had  to  put  her  hand  over  them  while  she  tucked  the  valentine 
into  baby's  chubby  fist. 

When  Bill  went  home  he  said  to  his  big  brother,  "Shut  your 
eyes,"  and  his  big  brother  said  to  him,  "You  don't  fool  me !" 
But  he  was  as  surprised  as  any  of  the  rest  of  them  when  he 
opened  his  eyes  and  found  a  valentine. 

The  next  day,  when  the  children  went  back  to  the  kinder- 
garten, they  said  to  their  teacher,  "Oh,  it  was  fun  to  make 
valentines !" 


176       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

And  she  said,  "Well,  we  musn't  forget  to  do  it  again  next 
Valentine's  Day." 

Handwork : 

After  the  story  the  children  will  want  to  make  valentines 
to  take  home  as  surprises.  Red  construction  paper,  scissors, 
valentine  scraps,  and  paste  may  be  furnished.  The  chil- 
dren may  cut  out  hearts  freehand.  (If  certain  children  need  the 
help  of  a  pattern,  it  may  be  given  to  them.)  After  the  hearts 
are  cut  out  the  little  pictures  may  be  pasted  in  the  center. 
The  teacher  may  write  on  the  back  of  the  heart  the  name  of 
the  one  to  whom  it  is  to  be  given.  As  the  valentines  are 
being  made  the  children  will  plan  how  they  will  surprise  the 
dear  ones  for  whom  they  are  intended. 

Prayer : 

Dear  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  you  for  valentines,  and 
for  the  fun  we  have  making  them  and  giving  them. 


LESSON  XL 
A  LITTLE  CHILD'S  HEROES 

THE  fireman,  the  policeman,  the  soldier  are  the  child's 
heroes.  Of  course,  the  little  child  is  not  a  hero  worshiper  in 
the  same  sense  as  the  junior.  Nevertheless  he  has  his  heroes : 
he  often  talks  about  them  and  entertains  a  great  admiration 
for  them.  Four-year-old  Bobbs  followed  a  sailor  down  the 
street,  and  returning  said  in  awed  tones,  with  popping  eyes, 
"I  sawed  a  sailor ;  he  was  a  w-w-white  one  !'* 

It  is  the  uniform  and  the  hook  and  ladder,  the  gun  and  club 
that  attract  the  small  child  as  well  as  what  is  done  with  these 
things.  Through  watching  these  heroes  and  hearing  stories 
about  them  he  also  gets  the  idea  of  obedience  to  rule  or  law. 
He  can  be  led  to  have  a  genuine  respect  for  these  protectors 
in  the  community. 

One  of  the  heroes  only  may  be  studied  under  this  topic  with 
perhaps  incidental  mention  of  the  others.  Suggestions  are  given 
here  for  the  development  of  all  three  subjects.  It  need  not 
be  used  at  any  set  time  of  the  year,  but  whenever  the  children 
have  had  a  vivid  experience  which  quickens  their  interest  in  the 
fireman  or  the  policeman  or  the  soldier. 

Conversation : 

After  the  children  have  seen  the  firemen  go  to  a  fire  in 
the  neighborhood,  or  some  day  when  the  engine  happens  to 
pass  the  school  building,  a  conversation  about  the  fireman 
can  best  be  initiated.  The  children  will  tell  the  different  parts 
of  the  fire  equipment  which  they  have  noted :  the  engine, 
the  hook  and  ladder,  the  hose  cart,  the  rubber  hats  and  coats 
177 


178      THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

of  the  firemen.  The  teacher  can  lead  them  to  discover  the 
use  of  every  part.  Perhaps  some  of  the  children  have  visited 
the  engine  house  and  can  tell  about  the  quarters  of  the  fire- 
men there,  the  fire  gong,  the  readiness  of  everything  and 
everybody  for  instant  response  to  the  fire  signal. 

Pictures: 

In  connection  with  the  conversation  pictures  may  be  shown 
by  the  teacher  which  will  recall  the  children's  experiences  with 
firemen  or  which  will  illustrate  the  incidents  that  are  told. 
These  may  be  found  in  some  of  the  story  books  for  older  boys 
found  in  every  library. 

Story :  Putting  Out  the  Fire. 

The  following  story  will  bring  home  to  the  child  his  de- 
pendence on  the  fireman  and  the  quickness,  bravery,  and  skill 
which  this  hero  displays. 

One  afternoon  Jack  was  playing  in  his  back  yard  when  he 
saw  smoke  coming  from  the  roof  of  the  barn  next  door.  He 
sped  as  fast  as  his  legs  could  carry  him  into  the  house  to  his 
mother.  "Fire,  fire!"  he  cried. 

"Where  ?"  said  his  mother  as  she  went  to  the  window.  When 
she  saw  the  smoke  coming  from  the  roof  of  the  barn,  she 
ran  to  the  telephone  and  sent  in  a  call  for  the  fire  company. 
"Jack,"  said  she,  "you  must  help  me  pack  a  few  clothes  and 
our  silver,  for  with  this  wind  our  house  may  catch  fire 
too." 

Before  mother  and  Jack  could  pack  one  suitcase,  Jack  heard 
the  clanging  of  the  fire  gong,  and  he  forgot  everything  else 
in  the  excitement  of  watching  the  firemen.  There  was  the 
engine  puffing  away;  the  hook  and  ladder  and  the  hose  cart 
were  just  behind.  The  captain  was  shouting  orders  and  the 
firemen  were  running  swiftly  and  surely  here  and  there.  Two 


A  LITTLE  CHILD'S  HEROES  179 

had  fastened  the  heavy  hose  to  the  hydrant  while  others  held 
the  nozzle  and  directed  the  big  stream  on  the  barn.  Three  more 
had  put  up  the  ladders  and  were  chopping  away  furiously 
with  their  hatchets  to  make  an  opening  in  the  barn  so  that  the 
men  could  get  the  hose  inside.  Some  of  the  firemen  had  found 
another  hydrant  and  were  bringing  hose  from  that  direction. 
The  smoke  poured  out  of  the  building,  soot  and  cinders  rained 
down  on  the  firemen,  but  they  seemed  not  to  notice. 

Suddenly  the '  smoke  died  down.  The  firemen  tramped 
around  to  be  sure  that  every  spark  was  out.  Then  the  en- 
gine started  back  to  the  engine  house  followed  by  the  hook 
and  ladder  and  the  hose  cart.  The  firemen  were  wet  and  tired, 
but  they  looked  happy,  and  Jack  and  mother  cheered  and 
waved  the  flag  as  they  passed  by. 

Dramatization : 

After  the  telling  of  this  dramatic  incident  the  children 
may  want  to  play  "fire  engine,"  as  they  term  it.  Jack  and 
his  mother  may  send  in  the  call  and  the  firemen  riding  on 
the  engine,  hose  cart,  hook  and  ladder  may  come  to  the 
rescue.  They  will  direct  the  hose  on  the  burning  building, 
then  later  return  to  the  engine  house  with  mother  and  Jack 
cheering  as  they  pass  by.  Any  part  of  this  little  drama  for 
which  the  children  are  ready  may  be  played  if  it  is  merely  the 
representation  of  the  firemen  going  to  the  fire,  putting  it  out 
and  returning  without  the  part  of  Jack  and  mother  brought  in 
at  all.  Very  little  setting  is  needed  by  the  child  of  this  age  for 
the  dramatization — nothing  more  in  fact  than  the  engine  house 
and  the  burning  building. 

Excursion : 

Unless  the  children  are  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  fire- 
man -it  would  be  well  to  visit  the  engine  house,  if  possible,  be- 
fore suggesting  the  dramatization.  The  children  would  be 


i8o      THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

much  interested  in  examining  every  part  of  the  equip- 
ment. They  might  be  fortunate  enough  to  be  in  the  vicinity 
when  the  firemen  were  called  out  for  a  fire  or  were  going 
out  for  practice. 

Handwork : 

Freehand  drawing  with  crayon  and  manila  paper  would 
be  an  excellent  medium  of  expression  for  this  interest.  If 
preferred,  the  children  might  build  the  engine  house,  the  en- 
gine, other  houses  with  the  large  blocks  and  use  them  as  setting 
in  the  dramatization. 

Prayer : 

Whenever  the  prayer  can  best  be  brought  in,  it  may  be  used. 
"Dear  heavenly  Father,  we  thank  you  for  the  firemen  and  for 
what  they  do  to  help  us." 


LESSON  XLI 
A  LITTLE  CHILD'S  HEROES  (CONTINUED) 

SOME  day  when  the  children  and  the  teacher  are  out  for  a 
walk  the  big  policeman  will  stop  traffic  and  help  them  across 
the  street.  The  children  will  have  a  good  chance  to  observe 
his  uniform,  club,  and  star.  Perhaps  he  will  talk  to  them 
kindly,  as  policemen  sometimes  do.  Or  on  some  other  oc- 
casion they  may  meet  him  in  the  park  when  he  reminds  them  to 
"keep  off  the  grass,"  or  to  refrain  from  "picking  the  flowers." 
In  the  one  case  they  have  come  in  contact  with  him  as  a  per- 
sonal protector,  in  the  other  as  an  administrator  of  certain 
laws  to  which  all  must  be  obedient. 

Conversation : 

The  teacher  may  do  much  to  stimulate  their  confidence 
and  respect  by  talking  over  these  experiences  with  them  after- 
ward, and  helping  them  to  feel  the  kindliness  of  the  police- 
man and  the  reasonableness  of  the  rules.  Many  little  chil- 
dren fear  the  policeman  or  try  to  outwit  him  as  a  natural 
enemy.  It  means  much  for  their  social  adjustment  and  their 
community  responsibility  that  these  first  experiences  are  rightly 
interpreted. 

Dramatization : 

The  children  will  often  act  out  the  little  drama  of  crossing 
the  street.  One  will  represent  the  big  policeman  in  the  center, 
others  will  be  autos,  carts,  and  cars,  while  still  others  are 
people,  perhaps  the  teacher  and  her  children,  trying  to  cross. 
The  policeman  holds  up  his  hand  to  stop  the  traffic  and  then 
181 


182       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

helps  the  teacher  and  the  children.  A  silver  paper  star  will 
furnish  great  dignity  to  the  policeman  and  great  respect  from 
the  observers. 

Story:  The  Rescue  of  Mother  Biddy. 

The  story  of  the  Policeman  and  Mother  Biddy  Hen  is  a 
realistic  story  which  brings  the  policeman  as  a  protector  into 
intimate  favor  with  the  children. 

One  night  Mrs.  Davis  and  her  children  were  awakened 
from  a  sound  sleep  by  a  dreadful  racket  in  the  chicken  yard. 
Mrs.  Davis  lived  in  town,  but  she  kept  a  few  chickens  as  pets 
for  her  children.  "Bob  and  Mary,"  she  said  as  they  came  shak- 
ing into  her  room,  "I'm  very  sorry  that  your  father  is  away 
to-night.  Something  must  be  after  the  chickens.  Put  on  your 
slippers  and  coats  and  come  with  me." 

It  was  very  dark  outside,  and  Bob  and  Mary  shivered  as 
they  kept  close  to  their  mother.  No  sooner  had  they  stepped 
off  the  porch,  however,  than  they  heard  a  cheery  whistle  and 
saw  a  bright  light.  It  was  Ben,  the  big  policeman. 

"Look's  like  chicken  thieves,  Mrs.  Davis,"  he  said.  "I've 
just  called  for  Jones,  who  has  the  next  block.  Don't  be  afraid; 
we'll  find  the  rascals  for  you." 

Bob  had  run  ahead  to  the  chicken  coop,  and  now  he  was 
fairly  crying  as  he  called,  "O  mother,  they've  took  Mother 
Biddy  Hen.  Here  is  a  handful  of  her  feathers  where  they 
grabbed  her!"  Now,  Mother  Biddy  Hen  was  the  best  little 
brown  hen  in  the  henhouse  and  a  great  favorite  with  the  chil- 
dren. 

Jones,  the  other  policemian,  had  arrived,  and  Ben  started 
down  the  alley  while  Jones  went  up  the  street  in  the  opposite 
direction.  Mrs.  Davis  tried  to  comfort  the  children,  although 
she  really  did  not  expect  the  policemen  to  catch  the  thieves. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  before  they  heard  Ben's  cheery 


A  LITTLE  CHILD'S  HEROES  183 

whistle.  "We've  found  the  rascal,"  he  said,  "and  who  do  you 
suppose  it  is?"  The  children  could  not  guess.  Ben  had  to 
tell  them.  "A  big  black  dog,"  he  said.  "We  scared  him  so  that 
he  dropped  Mother  Biddy  Hen  and  began  to  run.  Say,  Jones, 
when  do  you  think  he'll  stop  running!" 

There  in  Ben's  arms  was  Mother  Biddy  Hen,  very  quiet 
and  scared  and  having  lost  handfuls  of  feathers ;  but  still  able 
to  drink  the  water  that  the  children  brought  her  and  eat  a 
little  grain. 

"Children,"  said  mother,  "how  can  we  thank  Ben  enough?" 
"Don't  mention  it,  Mrs.  Davis,"  said  Ben.   "Just  call  on  me 
whenever  I  can  help  you." 

Prayer : 

Dear  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  you  for  the  policeman  and 
for  what  he  does  to  help  us  all. 


LESSON  XLII 
A  LITTLE  CHILD'S  HEROES  (CONCLUDED) 

Marching : 

THERE  is  no  activity  that  children  enjoy  more  than  march- 
ing like  soldiers.  At  the  first  of  the  year  they  do  not  keep 
succession  in  the  march,  but  they  do  feel  the  rhythm  of  some 
well-accented  march,  like  "How  we  march  a-soldier,"  in  The 
Rhythms  of  Childhood,  by  Crawford,  if  it  is  well  played  on 
the  piano.  Very  soon  such  simple  commands  as  "Halt!" 
and  "Forward,  march !"  may  be  introduced  and  later,  "Back- 
ward, march !"  and  "About  face !"  In  time  the  children  are 
able  to  keep  succession  in  the  march,  and  will  under  a  good 
leader  march  happily  single  file  for  twenty  minutes.  Some- 
times there  can  be  one  flag-bearer;  at  other  times  every  child 
may  carry  a  flag.  When  carrying  flags  the  children  should  show 
the  utmost  respect  for  them  from  the  first.  They  should  never 
be  allowed  to  touch  the  ground  and  should  be  held  proudly 
aloft,  for  the  flag  is  the  symbol  of  our  country,  and  disre- 
spect for  it  may  mean  later  a  disregard  for  the  more  sacred 
duties  of  citizenship.  If  there  is  a  drum  or  other  band  in- 
struments, it  will  add  interest  occasionally  to  use  these  in  the 
march.  The  children  should  be  taught  alertness,  good  carriage, 
quick  response  to  commands  of  the  leader  through  the  march. 
If  rightly  conducted,  it  is  an  excellent  means  of  teaching  self- 
control  and  cooperation. 

Conversation : 

In  connection  with  the  marching,  which  is  the  sol- 
dier activity  that  the  children  have  most  often  witnessed, 

184 


A  LITTLE  CHILD'S  HEROES  185 

they  will  like  to  tell  about  the  soldiers;  how  they  march, 
the  commands  that  are  given  to  them,  the  band  that  plays 
for  them,  their  uniforms,  their  guns.  Perhaps  some  of  them 
will  know  about  the  tents  where  the  soldiers  sleep,  the  mess 
halls  where  they  eat,  their  drills,  and  the  fighting  that  they 
must  often  do.  The  teacher  can  stress  their  helpfulness  as 
our  protectors  as  well  as  their  bravery  by  telling  some  such 
little  incident  as  the  following  one : 

Story :  Our  Brave  Soldiers. 

Once  upon  a  time,  long  ago,  there  were  some  bad  Indians 
who  troubled  the  people  in  one  of  our  towns  by  stealing 
their  horses,  and  finally  one  day  by  taking  a  little  child 
away  from  its  mother.  Then,  indeed,  the  people  were  very 
angry,  and  they  sent  for  the  brave  soldiers  to  bring  back  the 
horses  and  the  little  child  to  its  mother. 

The  soldiers  found  out  where  the  Indians  had  their  camp, 
in  a  dark  forest  against  a  great  cliff.  One  night  when  they 
were  sleeping  the  soldiers  stole  upon  them  until  they  had 
made  a  circle  about  the  camp.  Then  one  very  brave  soldier 
crept  in  on  his  hands  and  knees  to  the  wigwam  where  the 
little  white  child  was  sleeping.  Very  gently  in  order  not  to 
awaken  it,  he  lifted  it  in  his  arms  and  lightly  and  swiftly  he 
bore  it  out  of  the  camp. 

The  other  soldiers  were  waiting  with  their  horses  which 
they  had  loosened  from  their  tethers  and  with  the  speed 
of  the  wind  they  all  mounted  and  rode.  When  they  came  to 
the  town  the  people  were  waiting  with  drums  and  with  flags, 
and  in  front  of  them  all  was  the  mother  looking  for  her  little 
child. 

The  brave  soldier  stooped  from  his  saddle  and  put  the  child 
in  his  mother's  arms.  The  little  child  laughed,  the  mother 
wept  with  joy,  and  all  the  people  shouted,  "Hurrah,  hurrah 
for  our  brave  soldiers !" 


186       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 


Song: 

"The  Soldiers  Come"  will  be  loved  by  the  children,  es- 
pecially after  the  story  just  sketched : 

"Marching,  marching  swiftly  by, 

To  the  beating  of  the  drum, 
With  the  stars  and  stripes  on  high, 
See  the  soldiers  come !" 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 
Prayer : 

Dear  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  you  for  the  brave  soldiers 
who  help  to  take  care  of  us.  Please  be  with  them  every- 
where and  keep  them  when  in  danger. 

Handwork : 

Every  child  likes  a  soldier  cap.  The  caps  may  be  made 
and  kept  for  the  Hero  Festival,  if  this  lesson  should  pre- 
cede. Oblongs  of  tissue  paper  or  brown  wrapping  paper, 

THE  SOLDIER  CAP 


A  LITTLE  CHILD'S  HEROES  187 

a  little  smaller  than  an  ordinary  newspaper  sheet,  may 
be  provided.  Place  the  sheet  so  that  the  long  line  runs  from 
front  to  back,  fold  the  back  edge  to  meet  the  front  edge ; 
then  fold  the  right  side  to  meet  the  left  side.  Open  the  last 
fold  only,  showing  the  guiding  line  extending  through  the 
center  from  front  to  back.  Place  the  paper  so  that  the  closed 
edge  is  at  the  top  and  bring  the  upper  right-hand  corner  to 
meet  the  guiding  line,  then  the  upper  left-hand  corner  to  meet 
the  same  line.  Fold  back  on  either  side  the  paper  at  the  bottom 
which  extends  below  the  two  triangles  just  formed  by  the 
folding.  A  little  paste  or,  better  still,  a  small  badge  fastened 
on  either  side  will  hold  the  folds  in  position. 


LESSON  XLIII 
THE  HERO  FESTIVAL 

THE  little  child  has  a  part  in  every  community  or  home 
festival,  or  should  have.  What  may  his  part  be  in  the  cele- 
bration of  birthdays  such  as  those  of  Washington  or  Lincoln? 
He  is  not  ready  for  history  stories.  He  knows  about  birthdays, 
however,  about  soldiers  and  presidents.  He  has  gained  some 
idea  from  the  home  discussion  of  the  present  President.  The 
picture  can  be  shown  of  the  great  man,  and  the  children  can 
be  told  that  it  is  the  birthday  of  one  of  our  great  soldiers.  Our 
soldiers  may  be  associated  with  the  day,  and  the  children  can 
carry  the  flag  and  think  of  themselves  as  soldiers.  Patriotism 
begins  with  a  little  child's  love,  respect,  and  reverence  for  the 
flag  which  he  proudly  carries  and  salutes. 

Conversation : 

The  children,  some  of  them,  already  know  the  picture 
of  Washington,  and  as  soon  as  they  see  it  in  the  room  they 
call  out  that  it  is  Washington's  Birthday.  The  teacher  can 
tell  the  children  that  Washington  was  the  first  President 
of  our  United  States  and  that  he  was  a  great  soldier,  that 
everyone  loves  him  and  knows  him  when  his  picture  is  shown. 
The  teacher  and  the  children  may  salute  his  picture  and  then 
the  flag  which  is  always  in  the  room. 

Songs: 

One  verse  of  "America*'  can  be  sung,  as  nearly  all  chil- 
dren know  at  least  one.  "The  Star-Spangled  Banner"  may 
be  played  and  sung  by  the  teacher  and  those  children  who 

1 88 


THE  HERO  FESTIVAL  189 

want  to  sing  with  her.  During  the  singing  of  both  hymns  the 
children  may  stand  at  attention.  Then  the  Soldier  Song  may 
be  sung  by  all  the  children. 

March: 

They  may  put  on  their  soldier  caps,  carry  the  drum  and 
flags,  and  march  to  the  music  of  the  Soldier  Song.  Different 
children  may  take  turns  leading  the  march  and  giving  the 
commands. 

Story :  The  Army  of  Two. 

The  story  of  "The  Army  of  Two,"  may  be  told  at  this 
time.  Children  are  much  interested  in  the  fact  that  two  little 
girls  were  soldiers.  It  suggests  that  every  child  may  on 
occasion  be  a  soldier : 

Once  upon  a  time  there  were  two  little  girls,  Rebecca  and 
Sarah.  Rebecca's  father  kept  a  lighthouse,  and  Sarah  was 
Rebecca's  little  friend.  One  day  when  the  children  were  at 
play  they  saw  a  strange  ship  coming  into  harbor. 

Now,  Rebecca's  father  had  gone  across  the  bay  and  the 
children  were  alone. 

"What  is  that?"  they  cried,  when  they  saw  the  ship.  Then 
they  ran  up  into  the  lighthouse  to  watch.  Yes,  it  was  a  strange 
ship  coming  straight  into  the  bay.  What  was  it  doing?  It 
had  set  fire  to  a  little  sloop  that  lay  outside  the  harbor.  It  must 
be  an  enemy  ship. 

"O,  if  I  were  a  man,  wouldn't  I  fight?"  cried  Rebecca.  "And 
I  too,"  cried  Sarah. 

The  little  girls  watched  and  watched.  What  could  they  do? 
If  they  could  only  warn  the  people  of  the  village!  But  they 
could  not,  for  they  had  no  boat. 

1  From  America's  Story  for  America's  Children  by  Mara  L.  Pratt.    Copy- 
right, 1901.     Used  by  permission  of  D.  C.  Heath  &  Co.,  Publishers. 


190       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

"Couldn't  we  scare  the  enemy  away  ?"  they  wondered. 

"There  is  a  drum  in  the  lighthouse,"  said  Rebecca.  "There 
is  a  fife  too! — Let  us  go  and  get  them.  I  can  beat  the 
drum." 

"And  I  can  play  the  fife/'  said  Sarah. 

Then  down  the  stairway  the  two  children  ran  to  find  the 
drum  and  fife.  They  would  play  them  as  hard  as  ever  they 
could,  and  perhaps  the  enemy  would  think  an  army  was  com- 
ing. 

Then  the  children  crept  around  behind  the  lighthouse  and 
along  through  the  bushes. 

"Rub-a-dub,  rub-dub,  dub-dub !" 

"Toot-le-ty-toot,  toot,  toot!" 

"Hark !"  called  the  enemy  captain. 

"Rub-a-dub,  rub-a-dub,  rub-a-dub!" 

"Toot-le-ty-toot,  toot-le-ty-toot,  toot,  toot !" 

"Troops !"  said  the  soldiers  on  the  enemy  ship.  "But  where 
are  they?"  Then  they  listened  again.  The  music  seemed  to 
be  coming  nearer  and  nearer. 

"They  are  coming  along  the  point,"  said  the  captain.  "We 
must  get  away  as  quickly  as  possible,"  and  with  that  the  enemy 
ship  sailed  out  of  the  harbor. 

Meantime  the  people  in  the  village  had  heard  the  music,  and 
they  hurried  over  to  the  lighthouse  to  see  what  it  meant.  Andj 
what  did  they  find  there  ?  Only  two  little  girls ! 

"Do  you  think  we  scared  them  away?"   asked  Rebecca. 

"There  can  be  no  doubt  of  it,"  said  the  people. 

From  that  time  as  long  as  Rebecca  and  Sarah  lived  they 
were  called  Captain  Rebecca  and  Lieutenant  Sarah.  Some- 
times they  were  called  The  American  Army  of  Two. 

Prayer : 

Dear  heavenly  Father,  we  thank  you  for  the  soldiers  and 
the  flag.  Help  us  to  be  brave  and  helpful  like  true  soldiers. 


THE  HERO  FESTIVAL 


191 


Handwork : 

If  there  is  time,  each  child  may  have  a  small  picture  of 
Washington  which  he  can  paste  on  a  card.  If  desirable,  he 
can  construct  a  very  attractive  frame  by  folding  once  a 
square  of  paper  5  by  5  inches,  making  an  oblong,  then  cut- 

PICTURE  FRAME 
5x5  inches,  folded  in  center  5x5  inches 


CUT 


CUT 


PICTURE 


ting  from  the  folded  edge  two  slits  half  the  width  of  the 
picture  and  as  far  apart  as  the  length.  The  child  may  then 
open  out  his  square  of  paper,  and  cut  on  the  folded  line  be- 
tween the  two  slits.  When  he  pastes  the  frame  on  the  card 
and  folds  back  the  flaps,  or  doors,  as  the  children  call  them, 
his  picture  will  look  out  at  him. 


SPRING 


LESSON  XLIV 
JESUS  GROWS  TO  BE  A  MAN 

BEGINNING  with  December  the  teacher  has  mentioned  Jesus 
every  time  that  she  has  met  with  the  children.  They  have 
lived  with  the  thought  of  him  as  a  baby,  as  a  child,  as  a  boy. 
Now  he  is  a  man.  They  have  talked  about  the  soldier  who  pro- 
tects or  cares  for  people.  Jesus  calls  friends  to  follow  him, 
and  they  go  about  taking  care  of  people.  The  stories  of  feed- 
ing and  healing  told  from  the  beautiful  pictures  of  Murillo 
and  Hofmann  are  given  with  the  emphasis  on  the  love  and 
helpfulness.  When  Jesus  calls  little  children  and  blesses  them, 
their  hearts,  stirred  by  this  goodness  to  others,  respond  with 
a  glad,  spontaneous  affection.  The  bond  is  made  between  the 
child  and  Jesus  as  the  best  of  friends.  The  story  of  "The  Tri- 
umphal Entry,"  told  from  Plockhorst's  picture,  gives  the  ex- 
pression of  little  children's  love  for  Jesus  in  the  throwing  of 
the  flowers,  the  waving  of  the  branches,  and  the  shouts  of 
"Hosanna !" 

The  picture  stories  may  be  told  one  at  a  period ;  that  picture 
story  may  be  retold  at  the  following  period  until  the  chil- 
dren know  all  the  pictures  and  are  able  to  tell  the  incidents 
themselves. 

The  material  of  the  next  topic,  "The  Coming  of  Spring," 
may  be  introduced  simultaneously  with  these  lessons  when- 
ever it  is  apropos.  It  is  printed  as  supplementary  nature  ma- 
terial at  the  close  of  this  section. 

Conversation  and  Pictures : 

The  pictures  of  Jesus  as  a  child  and  as  a  boy  may  be  shown 
195 


i96      THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

to  the  children,  and  they  may  tell  the  story  that  each  picture 
suggests  to  them.  The  songs  about  the  Christ-child  with  which 
they  are  familiar  may  be  used  if  asked  for  by  the  children. 

Story:  Christ  and  the  Fishermen  (Zimmerman). 

Jesus  was  not  always  a  boy.  By  and  by  he  grew  to  be 
a  man,  strong  and  tall,  like  your  father.  He  was  not  a  sol- 
dier, but  he  was  as  brave  as  any  soldier,  and  he  went  about 
taking  care  of  people — feeding  them  when  they  were  hungry, 
making  them  well  when  they  were  sick  and  preaching  to  them 
as  the  minister  does  in  our  church. 

He  found  so  many  people  to  help  that  he  needed  friends 
to  go  about  with  him.  One  day  he  found  three  wonderful 
friends.  They  were  fishermen  and  their  names  were  Peter, 
James,  and  John.  They  had  been  spending  their  time  catching 
fish  in  the  sea  of  Galilee.  When  Jesus  passed  by  they  were 
mending  their  nets  before  they  should  go  fishing  again. 

He  stopped  and  watched  them  a  little  and  then  he  told  them 
what  he  was  doing  to  help  people.  "Peter,  James,  and  John/' 
he  said,  "follow  me  and  I  will  make  you  fishers  of  men." 

And  Peter,  James,  and  John  left  their  nets  and  followed 
Jesus.  They  loved  him  and  helped  him  wherever  they  could; 
they  were  his  friends. 

Picture: 

After  the  telling  of  the  story,  the  children  will  want  to 
look  at  the  picture,  Zimmerman's  "Christ  and  the  Fishermen," 
very  intently;  they  will  find  Jesus  and  each  one  of  the  three 
friends. 

Prayer: 

Dear  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  you  for  Jesus  and  for 
the  friends  that  helped  him.  May  we  make  good  friends. 


JESUS  GROWS  TO  BE  A  MAN  197 

Handwork : 

Small  copies  of  the  picture  may  be  furnished  the  children 
which  they  can  cut  out  and  mount  on  soft-toned  cards.  They 
may  talk  freely  about  the  picture  as  they  are  mounting  it  and 
may  be  encouraged  to  tell  mother  and  father  about  the  friends 
and  Jesus.  A  little  talk  about  what  a  good  friend  is  will  help 
to  set  a  standard  for  the  friendships  that  the  children  are 
forming. 


LESSON  XLV 
JESUS  THE  MAN 

Story:  Christ  Feeding  the  Multitude  (Murillo). 

ONE  day  Jesus  went  across  the  sea  of  Galilee  to  a  lonely 
place,  but  the  people  followed  him  :  fathers  and  mothers,  grand- 
fathers and  grandmothers,  and  even  little  children — a  great 
multitude  of  them.  Jesus  talked  to  them  all  day,  and  as  the 
sun  was  going  down  he  noticed  that  they  were  hungry  and  far 
from  home. 

"Whence  shall  we  buy  bread,"  he  said  to  one  of  his  friends, 
"that  these  may  eat  ?" 

Just  then  another  one  of  the  friends  spied  a  boy  with  a 
basket.  "There  is  a  lad  here,"  he  said  to  Jesus,  "who  has 
five  barley  loaves  and  two  fishes."  The  boy  was  glad  to  give 
all  that  he  had  to  Jesus,  and  Jesus  took  the  loaves  and  fishes 
and  gave  thanks  to  God  our  Father. 

Then  the  friends  passed  the  bread  and  fishes  and  all  the 
people  had  enough  to  eat  and  to  spare. 

Picture: 

"The  Miracle  of  the  Loaves  and  Fishes,"  by  Murillo,  is  one 
of  the  best  representations  of  this  subject.  The  children  will 
be  particularly  interested  in  the  boy  and  in  Jesus. 

Prayer : 

Dear  Father  in  heaven,  help  us  to  love  people  and  to  take 
care  of  them  as  Jesus  did. 

Offering : 

The  teacher  and  the  children  can  talk  about  the  poor  chil- 
198 


WHEN   THE    OFFERING   IS   PUT   INTO    THE    BASKET 


JESUS  THE  MAN  199 

dren  who  have  not  food  enough  and  whom  they  can  help  to 
feed  by  bringing  pennies  which  they  save  and  sometimes  by 
packing  baskets  of  food  for  them.  If  practicable,  some  ef- 
fort should  be  made  to  carry  out  the  suggestion  of  this  lesson 
in  concrete  giving. 

Handwork : 

A  small  copy  of  the  picture  may  be  cut  and  mounted  to 
take  home  to  mother  and  father  with  the  story  and  the  sug- 
gestion of  help  to  a  family  in  need  of  food. 


LESSON  XLVI 
JESUS  THE  MAN  (CONTINUED) 

Story:  Healing  the  Sick  (Hofmann). 

ONE  afternoon  Jesus  was  at  the  house  of  a  friend  when  at 
sunset  all  the  people  who  were  ill  came  to  the  door.  There  was 
the  old  blind  man  who  had  not  been  able  to  see  for  years. 
There  was  the  man  with  crutches  hobbling  painfully  up  the 
street.  There  was  the  man  whose  friends  had  to  carry  him 
because  he  could  not  walk.  And  there  too,  looking  at  Jesus 
with  pleading  eyes,  was  the  mother  with  her  sick  child  in  her 
arms. 

When  Jesus  saw  them  he  was  filled  with  sorrow  for  them. 
They  had  been  to  other  physicians,  none  of  whom  had  been 
able  to  make  them  well.  Jesus  prayed  to  God  the  heavenly 
Father  that  he  might  heal  them.  Then  he  put  his  hands  on  them 
and  blessed  them. 

The  old  blind  man  saw  the  sunlight  and  flowers,  the  faces 
of  his  friends,  Jesus !  The  lame  man  threw  away  his  crutches 
and  went  leaping  down  the  street !  The  man  who  could  not 
walk  stood  straight  and  strong  once  more.  The  color  came 
back  to  the  child's  face  and  the  laughter  to  its  lips.  It  ran  again 
by  the  side  of  the  mother. 

Then  there  was  great  joy  in  the  heart  of  Jesus  because  God 
the  heavenly  Father  had  enabled  him  to  make  these  sick  people 
well. 

Picture: 

The  children  will  find  in  the  picture,  "Healing  the  Sick," 
by  Hofmann,  the  blind  man,  the  lame  man,  the  man  who  could 

200 


JESUS  THE  MAN  201 

not  walk,  the  mother  with  the  child,  and  Jesus.    The  wonder- 
ful love  and  compassion  of  the  Master  illumines  the  picture. 

Prayer : 

Dear  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  you  for  Jesus.  We  love 
him. 

Service : 

If  any  little  child  in  the  class  is  ill  the  rest  of  the  group 
might  send  a  pretty  card,  dictating  to  the  teacher  what  to  write 
upon  it,  or  they  might  make  a  picture  book  of  all  the  pictures 
they  have  had  of  Jesus,  or  they  might  send  flowers.  In  this 
way  they  can  express  the  sympathy  and  love  which  the  story 
will  arouse. 

Handwork : 

The  picture,  "Healing  the  Sick,"  may  be  given  to  each  child 
and  be  cut  out  and  mounted  as  has  been  suggested  for  the 
other  pictures. 


LESSON  XLVII 
JESUS  THE  MAN  (CONTINUED) 

BEFORE  the  telling  of  another  story  the  teacher  and  the  chil- 
dren may  look  over  all  the  pictures  that  they  have  had  and 
talk  about  the  hungry  people  and  the  sick  people  that  Jesus 
helped,  and  about  the  little  children  who  are  hungry  or  have 
been  sick  whom  they  have  helped.  Perhaps  some  message  will 
have  been  received  from  these  children  to  whom  they  have 
given  which  can  be  read  at  this  time. 

Story:  Christ  Blessing  Little  Children  (Plockhorst). 

Wherever  Jesus  was  there  were  crowds  of  people,  so  many 
that  it  was  very  hard  to  come  near  to  him.  One  day 
when  he  was  busy  caring  for  all  of  these  people,  some  of 
whom  were  blind  and  lame  and  ill,  there  came  also  mothers 
with  their  little  children.  One  mother  carried  a  baby  and  had 
two  small  children  clinging  to  her  skirts ;  another  mother  had 
an  older  boy,  and  still  a  third  had  a  group  of  five,  two  little 
boys  and  three  little  girls,  the  smallest  just  big  enough  to 
toddle.  These  mothers  wanted  Jesus  to  see  their  dear  children 
and  to  bless  them. 

But  the  friends  of  Jesus  thought  that  he  was  too  busy  to 
be  troubled,  and  so  they  said :  "Jesus  has  no  time  for  children 
to-day.  Perhaps  some  other  time  he  can  see  them." 

Jesus  heard  what  the  friends  said,  and  he  saw  the  mothers 
and  the  children.  He  loved  little  children!  "Suffer  the  little 
children  to  come  unto  me,"  he  said,  "and  forbid  them 
not." 

Then  he  took  the  baby  in  his  arms  as  he  sat  by  the  roadside, 
202 


JESUS  THE  MAN  203 

and  all  the  other  children  gathered  about  him  looking  up  into 
his  face.  Perhaps  he  told  them  some  of  the  beautiful  stories 
about  the  baby  Moses,  and  the  little  Samuel  and  others  that 
you  know.  I  think  they  told  him  about  the  birds  and  the 
flowers  and  everything  that  they  had  to  play  with.  Then  he 
put  his  hands  on  their  heads  and  asked  the  heavenly  Father 
to  bless  them. 

Prayer : 

Dear  God  our  Father,  we  thank  you  for  Jesus.  We  are 
glad  that  he  loves  little  children ;  we  are  glad  that  he  loves  us. 

Song: 

Very  softly  the  teacher  may  sing  the  song,  "Jesus  and  the 
Children": 

"When  Jesus  was  on  earth  with  men, 
He  called  the  little  children. 
The  mothers  heard  and  gladly  then 
They  brought  their  little  children. 
He  took  them  in  his  arms  of  love 
And  told  about  the  God  above 
Who  cares  for  little  children." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

The  children  will  want  the  song  over  and  over,  and  will 
join  unconsciously  in  the  singing. 

Picture : 

The  beautiful  picture  of  "Christ  Blessing  Little  Children," 
by  Plockhorst,  can  be  shown  immediately  after  the  telling  of 
the  story  or  later  during  the  singing  of  the  song.  The  children 
will  try  to  identify  as  many  of  the  figures  in  the  picture  as  they 
see.  There  is  no  other  picture  more  appropriate  as  a  permanent 
one  for  the  children's  room  than  this  one. 


204       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

Handwork: 

Every  child  will  want  to  possess  this  picture.  A  larger  size 
should  be  furnished  than  for  the  other  pictures.  It  may  be 
mounted  on  a  card,  so  that  it  can  be  hung  in  the  little  child's 
room  at  home. 


LESSON  XLVIII 
JESUS  THE  MAN  (CONCLUDED) 

THE  children  will  want  to  tell  where  the  picture  of  "Christ 
Blessing  the  Children"  has  been  placed  at  home.  If  the 
children  are  familiar  with  children  of  other  races  as  is  the 
city  child  in  America  to-day,  the  picture  "The  Hope  of  the 
World,"  by  Harold  Copping,  may  be  shown.  This  picture  will 
interest  because  of  the  money  which  the  children  have  brought 
to  help  other  children.  The  idea  that  Jesus  loves  all  little 
children  will  gain  a  wider  interpretation  through  this  picture, 
and  an  attitude  toward  children  of  other  races  will  be  formed 
that  no  other  appeal  is  quite  so  potent  in  making. 

Song: 

The  song  used  with  the  story,  "Jesus  and  the  Children," 
may  be  sung  several  times,  the  teacher  singing  the  lines  and 
the  children  alone  responding  with  the  refrain. 

Story:  The  Triumphal  Entry  (Plockhorst). 

The  story  based  upon  Plockhorst's  picture  of  "The  Tri- 
umphal Entry"  may  be  used  as  an  interpretation  of  the  chil- 
dren's love  for  Jesus.  In  the  development  of  this  series  it 
would  come  near  or  at  the  Easter  festival. 

One  day  Jesus  rode  into  the  city  of  Jerusalem  on  an  ass's 
colt,  his  friends  walking  by  his  side.  Crowds  of  people  fol- 
lowed him  from  the  country  and  the  people  in  the  city  ran  out 
of  their  houses  to  greet  him. 

Some  of  them  spread  shawls  and  coats  in  the  way  for  him 
to  ride  over,  while  others  broke  branches  from  the  palm  trees 
and  waved  them. 

205 


206       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

The  little  children  were  there.  They  had  palm  branches  and 
great  bunches  of  wild  flowers  which  they  scattered  before 
Jesus.  "Hosanna,  Hosanna!"  shouted  the  people.  "Blessed  is 
he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord."  "Hosanna, 
Hosanna !"  shouted  the  children.  "We  love  him  too." 

Picture: 

The  picture  may  be  used  in  connection  with  the  telling  of 
the  story  and  the  singing  of  the  hymn.  It  has  a  great  fascina- 
tion for  the  children,  and  they  should  be  allowed  the  time 
to  study  it  carefully  while  the  song,  "Jesus  Loves  Me,"  is 
sung  over  and  over. 

Prayer: 

Dear  heavenly  Father,  we  thank  you  for  Jesus  our  friend. 
We  thank  you  for  all  that  he  did  to  help  people — the  sick, 
the  hungry,  and  those  in  trouble.  May  we  help  people  too. 

Handwork : 

Again  the  children  may  mount  the  picture  to  take  home. 
They  may  make  a  folder  of  manila  paper,  drawing  on  the  cover 
flowers,  birds,  trees,  and  mounting  the  picture  inside. 

SUPPLEMENTARY  NATURE  MATERIAL 
(To  be  used  with  Lessons  44-48.) 

THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

THERE  cannot  be  a  set  time  for  introducing  spring.  The 
children  will  bring  in  spontaneously  the  signs  of  it — now  a 
pussy  willow,  again  the  report  of  a  robin,  a  little  branch  that 
is  budding,  a  crocus.  The  teacher  also  brings  in  evidence  of 
the  change.  There  is  no  season  of  the  year  so  full  of  wonders 
in  the  out-of-doors  as  the  spring,  and  the  little  child  seems 


JESUS  THE  MAN  207 

peculiarly  akin  to  all  that  is  budding  and  growing  there. 
Through  nature  the  pathway  leads  straight  back  to  God  as  the 
creator  of  all  the  new  life  and  loveliness.  It  is  the  purpose 
here  to  give  some  suggestive  material  with  the  hope  that  the 
teacher  will  select  the  most  appropriate  for  her  group  and 
will  use  it  at  the  time  when  it  is  apropos.  As  was  indicated  in 
the  introduction  to  the  series  of  picture  stories,  these  may  be 
interspersed  with  the  spring  material — the  spring  activities, 
songs  and  the  examination  of  nature  material  often  preceding 
the  use  of  the  biblical  material. 

THE  PUSSY  WILLOWS 
Observation : 

The  first  harbinger  of  spring  in  many  places  is  the  pussy 
willow.  A  single  branch  or  several  twigs  may  be  brought  in 
by  the  children  or  the  teacher.  Perhaps  the  group  can  be  taken 
by  the  teacher  where  the  pussy  willows  grow  and  can  have 
the  joy  of  discovery.  They  will  observe  the  way  the  flowers 
appear  on  the  branch,  the  little  brown  coverings,  or  "houses," 
out  of  which  they  have  come.  Every  child  will  want  to  stroke 
them,  for  the  soft  texture  delights  the  child.  The  teacher  will 
ask  what  time  of  year  brings  the  pussy  willows,  and  some 
of  the  children  will  know  that  it  is  spring.  The  teacher  may 
also  question  where  the  pussy  willows  have  been  hiding  all 
winter,  and  the  children  will  find  some  of  the  brown  cover- 
ings not  yet  opened. 

Song: 

The  children  will  respond  immediately  to  this  song  of  "The 
Pussy  Willow" : 

"In  the  early  days  of  spring, 

Pussy  willow,  pussy  willow, 
When  the  birds  begin  to  sing, 
Pussy  willow,  we  find  you. 


20$       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

"And  you  wear  a  velvet  gown, 
Pussy  willow,  pussy  willow, 
That  is  soft  as  eider  down. 
Pussy  willow,  we  love  you." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

The  children  and  the  teacher  may  talk  about  velvet  and  eider 
down.  If  anyone  is  wearing  velvet,  the  children  may  feel  it. 
The  teacher  also  may  bring  in  some  eider  down. 

Handwork : 

If  handwork  is  desired,  the  children  may  be  provided  with 
sheets  of  gray  construction  paper,  with  white  chalk  or  crayon 
and  with  brown  crayon.  They  can  easily  draw  some  of  the 
willow  branches  with  the  brown  crayon  and  then  distribute  the 
gray  flowers  on  the  stem  making  the  brown  covering  at  the 
base  of  each  one  with  the  brown  crayon. 

Prayer: 

At  some  time  during  this  nature  talk  when  the  apprecia- 
tion for  the  pussy  willow  is  most  evident,  the  teacher  may 
lead  the  children  in  the  prayer:  Dear  Father  in  heaven,  we 
thank  you  for  the  pussy  willows  and  for  the  coming  of  the 
spring. 

THE  BIRDS  RETURN 
Observation : 

The  children  will  report  the  appearance  of  the  first  robin 
and  later  of  the  bluebird,  the  oriole,  and  the  woodpecker.  The 
teacher  and  the  children  can  walk  out  often  to  look  for  birds 
and  can  learn  to  recognize  one  at  a  time.  The  pictures  of  the 
different  birds  in  color  can  be  put  up  in  the  room  on  the  pic- 
ture screen,  not,  of  course,  until  the  bird  appears.  The  children 
will  know  in  time  the  distinguishing  characteristics  of  each 
one — the  robin's  red  breast  and  rusty  coat,  the  color  of  the 


JESUS  THE  MAN  209 

bluebird  and  the  oriole,  as  well  as  the  woodpecker's  red  head. 
Each  bird  becomes  a  loved  friend  who  gives  joy  by  his  flight, 
his  song,  and  his  gay  coat. 

Activity: 

The  children  delight  in  imitating  the  flight  of  the  return- 
ing birds.  Very  lightly  on  tiptoe  with  outspread  arms  mov- 
ing up  and  down  they  fly  about  the  room  or  out  of  doors. 
"Birds  A-flying,"  from  The  Rhythms  of  Childhood,  may  be 
used  as  a  piano  accompaniment.  Sometimes  the  children  like 
to  play  that  they  are  bluebirds  or  robins  or  orioles  or  wrens, 
according  as  they  are  dressed  in  brown  or  red  or  orange  or 
blue. 

Songs : 

There  are  many  beautiful  songs  about  the  birds  that  may 
be  sung  to  the  children  at  this  time.  One  of  the  first  to  be 
used  might  be,  "Now  It  Is  Spring"  : 

"Lo,  cold  winter  days  are  past, 

Hark!  robins  and  orioles  sing, 
Gay  daffodils  bloom  at  last, 
For  now  it  is  Spring!" 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

This  song  of  "The  Woodpecker"  the  children  like  especially 
for  the  tapping  refrain  : 

"Black  and  white  and  flaming  red, 
In  the  tree  high  overhead, 
He  is  tapping  all  for  fun, 
Rapping,  tapping  in  the  sun. 
Rap-tap-tap-tap,  Rap-tap-tap-tap, 
Rap-tap-tap-tap,  Rap-tap-tap-tap." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 


210       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

"Robin  Redbreast"  will  be  a  favorite : 

"Oh,  I  am  Robin  Redbreast, 

I  hop  on  your  lawn, 
I  help  to  make  your  garden, 
And  wake  you  at  dawn." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

Verses  that  may  be  read  to  the  children  are:  "What  Does 
Little  Birdie  Say?"— 

"What  does  little  birdie  say, 
In  her  nest  at  peep  of  day? 
'Let  me  fly,'  says  little  birdie, 
'Mother,  let  me  fly  away.' 

"Birdie,  rest  a  little  longer, 
Till  your  little  wings  grow  stronger. 
So  she  rests  a  little  longer, 
Then  she  flies  away. 

"What  does  little  baby  say, 
In  her  bed  at  peep  of  day? 
Baby  says,  like  little  birdie, 
'Let  me  rise  and  fly  away.' 

"Baby,  sleep  a  little  longer, 
Till  the  little  limbs  are  stronger. 
If  she  sleeps  a  little  longer, 
Baby,  too,  shall  fly  away." 

(Lord  Alfred  Tennyson.) 

"Rock-a-bye,  birdies,  upon  the  elm  tree, 
Where  the  long  limbs  wave  gently  and  free, 
Tough  as  a  bow-string,  and  drooping  and  small, 
Nothing  can  harm  you  to  give  you  a  fall. 

"Rock-a-bye,  birdies,  along  with  the  breeze — 
All  the  leaves  over  you,  humming  like  bees, 
High-a-way,  low-a-way,  come  again,  go, 
Go  again,  come  again,  rock-a-bye  so. 


JESUS  THE  MAN  211 

"Wonder  how  Father-bird  braided  that  nest — 
Binding  the  twigs  about  close  to  his  breast, 
Wonder  how  many  there  are  in  your  bed, 
Bonny  swing,  cradle,  hung  high  overhead. 

"Never  mind,  birdies — how  lightly  it  swings! 
Mother-bird  covers  you  close  with  her  wings, 
High-a-way,  low-a-way,  come  again,  go, 
Go  again,  come  again,  rock-a-bye  so." 

This  verse  will  be  easily  memorized : 

"Wrens  and  robins  in  the  hedge, 
Wrens  and  robins  in  the  air, 
Building,   pecking,   perching,  fluttering — 
Everywhere." 

(Christina  Rossetti.) 

Handwork : 

The  children  may  have  crayon  and  paper  and  draw  free- 
hand the  different  birds.  Stencils  may  be  furnished  by  the 
teacher  as  a  help  to  the  children  in  getting  better  form.  Birds 
may  be  cut  from  paper;  if  a  string  is  fastened  to  the  bird 
and  the  child  runs  holding  the  end  of  the  string,  he  is  much 
delighted  because  his  bird  seems  to  fly. 

Prayer : 

The  child  will  want  to  thank  God  for  the  pussy  willows  and 
the  birds:  Dear  Father,  we  thank  you  for  the  pussy  willows 
and  the  birds  that  come  in  the  spring. 

Service : 

The  children  can  be  reminded  to  throw  crumbs  to  these  first 
birds  who  often  come  before  the  snow  is  all  melted  and  who 
find  it  difficult  to  get  food.  They  will  be  happy  to  feed 
them. 


212       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IX  RELIGION 

THE  FLOWERS  BLOOM  AGAIN 
Observation : 

Almost  every  day  the  children  find  a  new  sign  of  spring : 
the  grass  grows  green ;  the  leaf  buds  are  swelling  on  the  trees ; 
the  snowdrops,  the  hepaticas,  the  arbutus,  the  crocus,  the  dande- 
lion, the  violet  follow  in  quick  succession.  The  teacher  and  the 
children  may  walk  out  often  to  find  these  growing  things. 
Twigs  may  be  brought  into  the  schoolroom  and  placed  in 
water  so  that  the  children  may  watch  the  unfolding  of  the 
leaves.  When  the  wild  flowers  are  picked  the  children  should 
be  taught  from  the  beginning  to  leave  many  for  seed.  The 
color  and  form  and  odor  of  the  different  flowers  will  be  a 
never-ending  source  of  wonder  and  surprise  to  the  child.  He 
should  have  the  opportunity  to  touch  and  to  smell  as  well  as 
to  see  to  his  heart's  content.  The  cause  for  the  growing  of  the 
flowers  and  grass  will  be  questioned  and  found  in  the  warm 
spring  sun  and  the  gentle  showers. 

Songs : 

There  is  a  wealth  of  song  and  verse  for  this  theme.    A  few 
illustrations  are  given  here. 
The  Sun : 

"Good-morning  to  you,  merry  Sun, 

That  shines  bright  all  the  day, 
You  watch  the  grass  and  flowers  grow 
And  little  children  play." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 


Raindrops : 


"Patter-pat,  patter-pat, 
What  a  gentle  sound  is  that ! 
Patter-pat,  patter-pat, 
Hear  the  raindrops  tap ! 


JESUS  THE  MAN 


213 


Now  the  grass  and  flowers  will  be 
Fresh  and  bright  for  you  to  see ! 
Patter-pat,  patter-pat, 
Hear  the  raindrops  tap!" 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 


Dandelions : 


Daisies : 


Violet: 


Verses : 


"When  the  first  spring  days  are  cold, 
Dandelions,  dandelions, 
When  the  first  spring  days  are  cold, 
Dandelions  dress  in  gold. 

"When  the  summer  days  are  bright, 
Dandelions,  dandelions, 
When  the  summer  days  are  bright, 
Dandelions  dress  in  white." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 


"Where  pretty  bright-eyed  daisies  are, 

With  blades  of  grass  between, 
Each  daisy  stands  up  like  a  star 
Out  of  a  sky  of  green." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 


'I  am  walking  through  the  grass,  Violet, 
And  I  pick  you  as  I  pass,  Violet. 
Pretty  little  flower  of  blue,  Violet, 
How  the  children  all  love  you,  Violet !" 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 


"Tell  me,  little  raindrops, 

Is  that  the  way  you  play? 
Fitter,  patter,  pitter,  patter, 
All  the  rainy  day?" 

(Play  Life.) 


214       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

"In  the  heart  of  a  seed,  buried  deep,  so  deep, 
A  dear  little  plant  lay  fast  asleep. 
'Wake!'  said  the  sunshine,  'and  creep  to  the  light.' 
'Wake!'  said  the  voice  of  the  raindrops  bright. 
The  little  plant  heard,  and  it  rose  to  see 
What  the  great,  round,  beautiful  world  might  be." 

"Daffy-down-dilly  is  now  come  to  town 
With  a  petticoat  green,  and  a  gay  gown." 

"The  rain  is  raining  all  around, 

It  falls  on  field  and  tree, 
It  rains  on  the   umbrellas  here, 
And  on  the  ships  at  sea." 

(Robert  Louis  Stevenson.) 

Prayer: 

There  is  no  prayer  more  heartfelt  than  the  one  which 
thanks  God  for  the  growing  things  of  the  spring:  "Dear 
heavenly  Father,  we  thank  you  for  sending  the  rain  and  the 
sunshine  to  make  the  flowers  grow  in  the  spring." 

Handwork : 

With  crayon  and  paper  even  the  smallest  child  will  ex- 
press his  joy  in  the  colors  of  the  spring  flowers  with  masses 
that  he  calls  dandelions  or  tulips  or  violets.  Perhaps  he  will 
draw  also  the  green  grass  and  trees.  Water  colors  and 
brushes  may  be  given  to  the  children,  and  they  may  sug- 
gest the  colors  of  spring  in  washes. 

Service : 

As  the  children  gather  the  flowers,  they  will  bring  them 
as  gifts  to  the  teacher  or  to  mother.  The  teacher  always 
should  welcome  and  treasure  every  such  gift,  for  this  is  an 
opportunity  for  the  child  to  express  love  and  to  give  happi- 
ness to  others.  Some  of  the  flowers  may  be  sent  to  the  play- 


JESUS  THE  MAN  215 

mate  who  is  ill,  to  the  little  crippled  girl  or  to  the  children 
in  the  city  school  who  have  no  wild  flowers  and  scarcely  ever 
a  garden  flower. 

SPRING  IN  THE  HOME  AND  ON  THE  PLAYGROUND 

The  home  is  busy  with  the  spring  activities  of  taking  off 
the  storm  windows,  uncovering  flower  beds,  cleaning  house, 
and  buying  and  making  spring  clothes.  The  little  child  will 
want  to  tell  about  all  these  things.  The  teacher  can  en- 
ccurage  him  to  help  in  every  way  he  can — running  errands, 
looking  after  the  baby,  and  cleaning  the  doll  house,  for  ex- 
ample. 

He  is  also  very  happy  over  his  new  spring  clothes.  The 
teacher  and  the  children  must  share  the  joy  over  each  new 
hat,  coat,  pair  of  socks  or  slippers  as  they  appear.  Again  the 
child  can  be  led  to  remember  father's  and  mother's  part  in  pro- 
viding him  with  these  things,  as  well  as  the  part  of  the  store- 
keeper or  the  tailor. 

In  the  spring  too  there  are  many  games  that  children  play, 
and  over  which  they  are  happy.  The  new  roller  skates,  the 
bag  of  marbles,  the  top,  the  hoop,  the  balloon  are  all  evident 
at  this  season  and  mean  so  much  to  the  child  that  he  should 
have  the  opportunity  to  express  his  gratitude  and  show  his 
treasures  to  the  rest. 

Activity  and  song: 

The  children  will  like  the  following  little  game,  in  which 
they  form  a  circle  and  sing : 

"In  the  spring,  in  the  spring, 
Children  playing,  children  playing, 
In  the  spring,  in  the  spring, 
Children  playing  laugh  and  sing. 
And  they  all  do  this  way ; 
Yes,  they  all  do  this  way." 


216       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

One  child  shows  them  some  action  and  all  imitate.  Such 
activities  as  jumping  rope,  playing  marbles,  bouncing  ball, 
roller  skating  may  be  suggested  by  different  children. 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 
Handwork : 

Poster  pictures  may  be  made  of  children  engaged  in  the 
various  spring  activities.  Colored  paper  may  be  furnished 
and  objects  cut  out  by  the  teacher  and  the  children  and  mounted 
to  tell  the  spring  story. 

Prayer: 

Dear  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  you  for  all  the  fun  that 
we  have  in  the  spring  and  for  our  new  spring  clothes.  Bless 
father  and  mother  and  everyone  who  helps  to  make  us  happy. 


LESSON  XLIX 
GLAD  EASTER  IS  HERE 

EASTER  is  the  culmination  of  the  previous  month's  stories 
and  talks.  It  may  be  a  very  childlike  festival  celebrating  the 
new  life  after  the  winter's  barrenness,  and  associated  with 
the  love  of  Jesus  for  the  children  and  theirs  for  him.  Flowers 
may  be  brought  for  the  children  who  are  ill  in  the  hospital  or 
at  home,  and  a  happy  flower  processional  may  be  held  by  sing- 
ing children  and  teachers,  each  with  an  offering  of  flowers. 
On  these  festival  occasions  the  prayer  of  thanksgiving  and 
praise  has  an  added  fervor. 

Songs  and  conversation: 

As  the  children  come  on  a  spring  morning  they  bring  with 
them,  if  where  they  can  secure  them  at  all,  bunches  of  garden 
or  wild  flowers  for  the  teacher  and  to  make  the  room  beauti- 
ful. If  they  have  no  flowers  to  bring,  the  teacher  should  make 
every  effort  to  bring  to  them  at  least  one  blossom  each  time 
they  meet,  that  speaks  of  spring.  If  the  environment  is  rich 
in  nature  resources,  there  will  be  much  to  talk  about  concern- 
ing the  birds  and  flowers ;  if  it  is  limited,  there  will  still  be  the 
sun  and  the  rain  and  such  flowers  as  the  teacher  may  bring. 
These  will  be  the  more  highly  treasured  and  are  enough  to 
speak  of  the  wonder  and  goodness  of  God. 

The  songs  and  the  verses  that  have  been  learned  may  be  used 
as  they  are  most  appropriate.  "Now  It  Is  Spring"  and  the  sun 
and  rain  songs  are  perhaps  the  most  often  in  use. 

Rhythm: 

The  rhythmic  game  "Children  Playing'  may  be  asked  for 
as  the  children  review  their  spring  experiences  or  they  may 
wish  to  play  "flying  birds"  or  the  "flowers  coming  up." 
217 


218       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

Hymns  I 

When  the  hearts  of  the  children  are  warm  with  gratitude 
for  the  loveliness  of  spring  the  piano  may  play  softly,  "God 
Loves  Me." 

"Little  bird  and  flower  and  bee 

Tell  me  that  God  loves  me. 
Sun  and  wind  and  rain  all  three 

Tell  me  that  God  loves  me. 
Moon  and  stars  at  night  I  see 
Tell  me  that  God  loves  me." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

Picture  Review : 

The  picture  of  Jesus  blessing  children  may  be  looked  at 
again,  the  children  telling  the  story  if  they  so  desire.  The 
picture  of  "The  Triumphal  Entry"  may  also  be  shown  and  the 
expression  of  love  for  Jesus  emphasized.  If  the  spring  lessons 
have  been  rightly  presented  to  the  children,  there  will  be  such 
a  wealth  of  love  for  Jesus  from  the  children  that  it  will  be 
spontaneously  expressed  in  a  chorus  of  little  voices,  "I  love 
him,"  "I  love  him !" 

Conversation  about  Easter : 

The  teacher  may  ask  the  children  if  they  know  what  glad 
day  is  coming.  They  may  introduce  the  subject  of  Easter 
without  any  question  from  her,  however,  and  tell  either  now 
or  earlier  of  the  Easter  plans,  particularly  of  the  eggs,  the 
bunnies  and  all  the  other  joys  of  childhood  connected  with  the 
day.  She  can  lead  them  to  speak  of  the  church  service  with 
its  lovely  music  and  flowers  and  can  interpret  the  day  as  one 
of  gratitude  for  the  spring  and  for  the  love  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

Easter  Hymn : 

The  hymn,  "Glad  Easter  Time   Is  Here,"   may  be  sung 


GLAD  EASTER  IS  HERE  219 

to  the  children.    They  will  readily  join  in  singing  it  after  the 
experiences  of  the  hour. 

"Be  of  cheer!     Glad  Easter  time  is  here! 
The  church  bells  all  are  ringing 
And  children's  voices  singing! 
Be  of  cheer!    Glad  Easter  time  is  here!" 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

Conversation  about  service : 

The  teacher  may  tell  about  the  children  who  are  ill  in  the 
hospital  or  in  their  homes  and  who  cannot  go  into  the  beauti- 
ful out-of-doors  to  see  the  birds  and  flowers.  If  the  picture 
is  skillfully  painted,  the  children  will  immediately  want  to 
bring  flowers  for  these  children,  for  by  this  time  in  the  year 
the  habit  of  giving  has  been  well  established  and  causes  much 
joy.  Together  teacher  and  children  may  plan  for  the  Easter 
flower  offering.  The  children  may  bring  cut  flowers  or  little 
potted  plants,  whichever  seems  more  feasible.  If  the  hospital 
is  near,  the  children  may  plan  to  walk  over  with  their  flowers, 
waiting  outside  while  the  teacher  takes  them  in;  if  it  is  at  a 
distance,  they  will  think  of  the  expressman  who  took  their 
Thanksgiving  gift. 

Handwork : 

Crayon  and  paper  may  be  supplied  and  each  child  may  draw 
a  picture  of  the  flower  he  wants  to  bring  while  the  teacher 
writes  notes  to  mother  about  the  offering.  As  the  children 
draw  they  will  spontaneously  burst  into  song  and  the  teacher 
can  from  time  to  time  lead  in  the  singing  of  the  new  Easter 
song. 

Prayer : 

Dear  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  you  for  the  glad  Easter 
time,  for  the  flowers,  the  birds,  the  sun,  and  the  rain.  Help 
us  to  make  the  little  sick  children  happy. 


LESSON  L 
THE  EASTER  FESTIVAL 

WHEN  the  children  have  assembled,  each  will  want  the  other 
to  see  his  flowers.  Moreover,  the  mood  is  one  of  such  joy  that 
the  children  can  scarcely  keep  still.  The  flower  processional 
in  which  all  march  carrying  their  flowers  or  potted  plants  gives 
the  needed  expression  and  is  so  beautiful  a  sight  that  no  one 
who  sees  it  will  ever  forget.  In  and  out  and  round  about  they 
go  while  a  festival  march  is  played  on  the  piano,  such  as 
"Marching  in  School,"  from  The  Rhythms  of  Childhood,  by 
Crawford  and  Fogg. 

Conversation  and  song : 

After  the  processional  each  child  may  have  a  chance  to  tell 
about  his  flower — its  name,  color,  about  where  he  got  it,  or 
any  other  bit  of  experience.  The  children  may  have  the  op- 
portunity to  smell  the  different  flowers  in  order  to  enjoy  the 
lovely  odors.  As  the  children  talk,  now  one  song  and  then 
another  may  be  appropriately  sung. 

The  gift: 

They  may  talk  about  the  children  in  the  hospital  or  the 
homes  who  are  to  enjoy  the  flowers.  The  teacher  may  tell 
them  about  these  children  if  she  has  been  able  to  visit  them. 
When  the  children  feel  somewhat  acquainted,  the  teacher  may 
get  pen  and  letter  paper  and  let  the  children  dictate  a  let- 
ter about  the  flowers  which  can  be  sent  with  them.  When  the 
letter  is  finished,  teacher  and  children  may  walk  to  the  hospital 
if  it  is  near  by,  the  children,  of  course,  waiting  outside  while 
the  teacher  takes  in  the  gift.  If  it  is  not  practical  to  walk 
to  the  hospital,  the  expressman  may  be  called  or  a  delivery 

220 


THE  EASTER  FESTIVAL  221 

boy  who  can  carry  the  flowers  which  the  children  deliver  to 
him. 

Excursion : 

If  an  excursion  to  the  hospital  cannot  be  arranged,  per- 
haps it  will  be  possible  to  take  the  children  into  one  of  the 
churches,  where  they  may  hear  the  beautiful  Easter  music 
played  on  the  organ  and  may  see  the  Easter  flowers  or 
decorations.  Such  reverence  will  show  in  the  children's  faces 
and  manner,  and  such  deep  interest  in  father's  and  mother's 
church  that  the  visit  will  repay  the  effort  in  making  arrange- 
ments. 

For  the  city  child  it  is  often  a  great  pleasure  to  walk  past  the 
florist's  shop  at  Easter  time  and  stop  to  examine  the  beauti- 
ful flowers  in  the  window.  Some  one  of  these  three  excursions 
may  be  arranged. 

Hymns: 

The  children  will  want  to  sing  their  own  Easter  hymn  and 
"Jesus  Loves  Me,"  and  "Praise  Him."  The  pictures  from  the 
life  of  Jesus  with  which  the  children  are  familiar  are  on  the 
screen  as  well  as  the  incidental  spring  pictures. 

Story: 

If  a  story  is  desired,  the  following  one  using  illustrative 
nature  material  can  be  told.  We  may  call  it  "The  Easter 
Lily" : 

One  day  Aunt  Betty  brought  little  Betty  an  Easter  present. 
It  was  still  winter,  for  the  snow  was  on  the  ground.  "I  have 
an  Easter  present  for  you,  Betty,  and  you  can  never  guess  what 
it  is." 

Little  Betty  looked  very  wise,  for  she  was  five  years  old  and 
she  remembered  last  Easter.  "Is  it  a  rabbit  ?"  she  asked. 

Aunt  Betty  shook  her  head. 


222       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

"A  chicken?" 

Still  Aunt  Betty  shook  her  head. 

"An  Easter  card?" 

"No!" 

Well,  what  could  it  be,  and  why  did  Aunt  Betty  bring  it  now 
when  the  snow  was  on  the  ground  and  Easter  was  many  Sun- 
days away  ? 

"Unwrap  this  package,"  said  Aunt  Betty,  "and  then  you 
will  know  more  about  it." 

Little  Betty  unwrapped  the  brown  paper  and  found  in- 
side a  round  ball  about  as  big  as  her  own  fist,  and  darker 
brown  than  the  paper.  It  looked  just  like  this.  (The  teacher 
may  hold  up  a  lily  bulb.) 

"O  Aunt  Betty,"  said  little  Betty  in  a  tone  of  great  dis- 
appointment, "that's  only  an  onion." 

"Not  an  onion,"  said  Aunt  Betty,  "but  I  am  not  going  to 
tell  you  what  it  is.  Are  you  a  good  soldier?  Can  you  take 
orders?" 

"Indeed  I  can,"  said  Betty,  saluting. 

"Take  your  present  and  put  it  in  that  pot  of  dirt,  cover  it 
over  carefully,  water  it  well  and  put  it  in  a  dark  corner  in  the 
basement."  Betty  obeyed  the  orders  to  the  letter.  When 
Betty  had  finished,  "Now  what  shall  I  do?"  she  asked. 

"Wait,"  said  Aunt  Betty,  "as  many  weeks  as  you  have 
fingers  on  one  hand.  Then  bring  your  pot  out  of  the  basement 
and  put  it  in  the  sunny  window  here  in  the  living  room.  Water 
it  every  day,  and  we  shall  see  what  we  shall  see !" 

Betty  counted  the  fingers  on  her  hand  to  make  sure  that 
she  had  five,  and  she  begged  mother  to  help  her  keep  count 
of  the  weeks.  Every  Sunday  she  would  ask,  "Now  is  it  time  to 
bring  my  pot  out  of  the  basement?"  And  every  week  mother 
would  reply,  "In  three  weeks,"  or  "Two  weeks,"  or  "One 
week."  Finally  the  day  came  when  mother  said,  "Yes,  you 
may  get  the  pot  to-day." 


THE  EASTER  FESTIVAL  223 

When  Betty  brought  it  up  to  the  living  room,  at  first  she 
could  not  see  that  anything  had  happened.  Finally  she  dis- 
covered a  tiny  shoot  of  a  sort  of  brownish  yellow.  Betty  set 
the  pot  in  the  window  where  the  sun  shone  on  it,  and  she 
watered  it  well  every  day.  The  shoot  grew  taller,  it  became 
green,  and  finally  long  ribbonlike  leaves  unfolded.  One  morn- 
ing Betty  discovered  a  small  green  bud,  and  then  another  on 
the  same  stalk.  It  was  almost  Easter  when  these  appeared  and 
Betty  watched  them  many  times  a  day.  They  grew  longer  and 
larger  and  whiter. 

One  morning  they  opened — beautiful  white  Easter  lilies 
with  hearts  of  gold  and  a  perfume  so  sweet  that  father  and 
mother  as  well  as  Betty  and  the  baby  drew  in  great  whiffs  of 
their  fragrance !  When  Aunt  Betty  came  to  visit  them  on 
Easter  Sunday  the  Easter  lily  was  at  the  window  to  welcome 
her  and  little  Betty  was  at  the  door.  "O  Aunt  Betty,"  said 
little  Betty,  "I  love  you  for  giving  me  the  Easter  lily !" 

The  teacher  may  conclude  the  story  by  bringing  in  an 
Easter  lily  which  the  children  will  now  appreciate  as  never 
before.  They  will  want  to  smell  its  fragrance,  to  find  its 
heart  of  gold. 

Prayer : 

Dear  heavenly  Father,  we  thank  you  for  the  Easter  lily,  for 
all  the  beautiful  spring  flowers  and  everything  that  makes  us 
glad  to-day.  May  the  little  sick  children  be  happy  too. 

Dismissal : 

The  children  may  sing,  "Easter  Time  Is  Here"  and  "Now 
It  Is  Spring."  Each  child  may  choose  a  flower  to  take  home, 
a  violet  or  a  daffodil  or  a  narcissus.  Just  one  will  be  a  great 
treasure  and  will  complete  the  morning's  experience  for  this 
little  child  who  loves  to  share,  but  whose  love  for  receiving 
as  well  as  giving  we  must  never  forget. 


LESSON  LI 
THE  GARDEN 

IT  has  been  said  that  "the  life  of  childhood  may  become 
gradually  and  almost  unconsciously  transformed  by  Christian 
ideals  at  work  in  such  small  matters  as  watering  a  thirsty  plant 
or  protecting  a  dumb  animal/'  If  the  child  cannot  plant  out- 
doors, he  can  plant  in  a  box,  an  eggshell,  a  clay  bowl  indoors. 
The  lesson  learned  by  this  actual  experience  in  gardening  is 
worth  hours  of  talk  about  it. 

"Whoever  plants  a  seed  beneath  the  sod 
And  waits  to  see  it  push  away  the  clod, 
Trusts  in  God !" 

Excursion : 

If  a  garden  is  being  planted  and  tended  anywhere  in  the 
neighborhood,  the  teacher  may  take  the  children  to  watch 
the  gardener.  They  will  be  deeply  interested  in  any  part  of 
the  process  which  they  may  observe — the  digging,  the  raking, 
the  planting,  the  watering  or  the  weeding. 

Conversation  and  pictures: 

After  the  observation  the  childien  will  want  to  talk  over 
what  they  have  seen  and  the  gardens  that  are  being  made  at 
home.  Especially  proud  and  happy  will  the  children  be  who  are 
having  some  share  in  the  garden.  Pictures  may  be  shown  of 
children  making  or  tending  their  gardens.  By  questions  as 
well  as  by  her  interest  the  teacher  may  stimulate  the  children 
to  bring  out  every  step  in  the  gardening  process.  They  know 
224 


THE  GARDEN  225 

God's  part  in  the  sending  of  rain  and  sunshine  because  of  the 
observations,  talks,  and  stories  that  have  already  come  in 
the  spring  lessons. 


The  songs  about  flowers,  about  the  sun,  and  the  rain  may 
be  brought  in  during  the  talk  and  picture  study,  also  the 
song,  "God  Loves  Me." 

Story:  Danny's  Garden. 

One  afternoon  in  the  spring  Father  came  home  from  the 
office  early  to  make  a  garden.  Danny  followed  him  out  in 
the  yard,  watched  him  spade  up  the  piece  of  ground  and  then 
break  up  the  clods  of  earth  and  rake  until  all  was  smooth  as 
a  floor. 

"What  makes  you  do  that,  Daddy?"  said  Danny. 

"I  have  to  make  the  ground  soft,"  said  Father,  "  for  other- 
wise these  little  seeds  could  never  grow." 

Then  Father  took  some  packages  with  bright-colored  pic- 
tures of  radishes  and  lettuce  and  peas  out  of  his  pocket.  He 
tore  the  end  off  one  package  and  poured  the  tiny  seeds  out  in 
his  hand.  "See  how  little  they  are,  Danny!"  he  said.  Then 
with  a  stick  he  made  a  trough  and  sprinkled  the  seed  in  it. 
After  he  had  carefully  covered  them  with  earth,  he  put  up 
a  slat  at  the  end  and  marked  "Lettuce"  on  it.  Then  he  planted 
the  radishes  and  the  peas  in  the  same  way. 

After  dinner  that  night  Danny  climbed  up  on  Father's  lap 
and  whispered  very  softly  in  his  ear  so  that  no  one  else  could 
hear,  "Daddy,  could  I  please  have  a  garden?" 

"Well,"  said  Father  aloud  as  if  he  were  considering,  "we'll 
see  about  it." 

The  next  afternoon  when  Father  came  home  he  called  for 
Danny.  He  had  a  long  package.  "Danny,"  said  he,  "I  be- 
lieve that  you  might  like  to  see  what  we  have  here." 


226       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

Then  Father  cut  the  string  with  his  pocketknife,  and  inside 
the  package  Danny  found  a  little  spade  and  rake  and  hoe. 

"O  Daddy,"  cried  Danny,  "I  am  going  to  make  a  garden !" 
Father  gave  Danny  a  little  piece  of  ground  beside  his  big 
piece,  and  Danny  spaded  and  raked  his  ground  until  it  was 
smooth  as  a  floor.  Then  Father  took  him  down  to  the  seed 
store  and  let  him  buy  some  of  the  packages  with  the  bright- 
colored  pictures.  He  bought  some  carrots  for  his  bunny,  some 
pumpkins  for  himself,  and  some  flowers  for  mother.  When 
he  had  planted  his  seed,  Father  got  the  hose  and  watered  his 
garden,  and  Danny  took  the  hose  and  watered  his  garden. 

Every  evening  Father  and  Danny  worked  in  their  gardens 
unless  it  rained.  When  the  carrots  and  pumpkins  and  nastur- 
tiums— for  those  were  the  flowers  Danny  chose  for  mother — 
came  up,  Danny  was  so  happy  that  he  danced  an  Irish  jig — 
at  least  that  was  what  Father  called  it. 

Then  by  and  by  there  came  the  day  when  the  first  bud 
opened  on  one  of  the  nasturtium  plants  into  a  lovely  red 
flower.  Danny  could  wait  no  longer ;  he  picked  the  flower  and 
gave  it  to  mother.  And  mother  said  that  it  was  the  prettiest 
flower  anybody  had  ever  given  her. 

Prayer: 

Dear  heavenly  Father,  we  thank  you  for  sending  sun  and 
rain  to  make  the  garden  grow.  Bless  the  gardens  that  we 
plant. 

Handwork : 

If  an  out-of-door  garden  is  practicable,  enough  spades 
and  rakes  of  the  proper  size  might  be  borrowed  from  a 
kindergarten  or  a  few  sets  could  be  purchased.  The  children 
might  then  dig  and  rake  and  plant.  For  children  of  this  age 
a  cooperative  garden  is  more  successful  than  an  individual  one 
for  each  child,  as  they  are  not  responsible  in  the  sense  that 


THE  GARDEN  227 

the  primary  child  is  capable  of  being.  Little  watering  cans 
can  be  provided  with  which  the  children  may  water  their  gar- 
dens. The  digging  and  the  raking  will  occupy  one  period 
and  the  planting  will  take  place  at  a  later  period. 

If  an  outdoor  garden  cannot  be  provided,  the  children  may 
make  clay  pots  in  which  to  plant  indoors.  A  piece  of  clay 
may  be  furnished  each  child  about  as  big  as  a  small  apple. 
It  may  be  rolled  into  a  round  form,  the  thumb  pressed  in  the 
center  and  the  clay  then  pressed  out  on  every  side  to  give 
the  proper  size.  A  pencil  or  meat  skewer  may  be  used  to 
make  the  hole  in  the  bottom  of  the  pot  for  drainage.  The 
pots  may  then  be  set  where  they  can  thoroughly  dry.  When 
dry  the  children  can  paint  them  with  bathtub  enamel  which 
is  impervious  to  water.  Any  color  desired  may  be  mixed  with 
the  white  enamel.  The  enamel  must  also  be  given  time  to 
dry,  so  that  the  making  of  the  pot  and  the  planting  might 
well  occupy  three  handwork  periods. 


LESSON  LII 
THE  GARDEN  (CONTINUED) 

THE  children  will  come  with  more  to  tell  about  the  home 
gardens  and  those  that  they  have  observed.  The  teacher  can 
talk  with  them  further  concerning  the  care  of  the  garden — 
the  weeding,  the  gathering  of  flowers  and  vegetables,  and  the 
watering. 

Pictures : 

The  pictures  may  be  studied  again  and  other  pictures  of 
gardens  added. 

Dramatization : 

The  children  may  enjoy  playing  that  two  or  three  chil- 
dren are  gardeners  and  that  other  children  are  the  bulbs 
which  they  plant  after  preparing  the  soil.  Then  the  gardeners 
water,  the  sun  shines  warm,  and  the  flowers  begin  to  grow. 
The  gardeners  go  about  in  the  garden,  now  and  then  stop- 
ping to  admire  a  flower  or  to  name  the  flowers  for  the  teacher 
who  comes  as  a  visitor  to  the  garden. 

Story: 

The  children  may  like  to  hear  the  story  of  "Danny's  Garden" 
again  or  perhaps  they  will  prefer  "The  Easter  Lily." 

Handwork : 

If  the  pots  are  ready  for  the  planting,  the  teacher  and  chil- 
dren may  go  to  the  florist  and  select  the  seed.  Nasturtiums 
are  hardy,  they  are  bright  in  color  and  they  come  up  very 

228 


THE  GARDEN  229 

quickly  and  bloom  profusely.  The  children  can  help  to  dig 
up  the  dirt  for  the  planting.  Large  tin  spoons  may  be  pro- 
vided or  trowels  so  that  each  child  may  have  a  turn  to  put 
the  dirt  in  his  own  pot  after  he  has  put  a  stone  over  the  hole 
in  the  bottom.  He  may  then  plant  his  seed  and  cover  it  well 
with  dirt.  The  little  watering  can  may  be  used  and  each  child 
may  water  his  own  seeds.  It  is  well  to  let  the  children  have  at 
least  three  seeds  each  to  be  reasonably  sure  that  one  grows. 

Prayer : 

After  the  planting  the  children  may  pray :  Dear  God,  please 
send  the  sunshine  for  our  seeds  and  help  us  remember  to  water 
them  well. 


LESSON  LIII 
THE  WIND,  A  PLAYFELLOW 

THE  wind  is  responsible  for  many  of  the  child's  best  spring 
games  and  plays.  Questions  about  the  wind  are  often  asked  by 
the  children — "Where  does  the  wind  come  from?"  "Who 
makes  the  wind?"  or  "What  makes  the  wind?"  The  answer 
which  satisfies  at  this  age  is  "God  sends  the  wind."  Out-of- 
door  observation  and  experience  is  necessary  to  make  these 
lessons  vital.  If  God  can  be  associated  with  all  such  experi- 
ences, then  he  becomes  really  a  part  of  the  child's  life. 

Conversation : 

On  some  windy  day  the  children  come  in  breathless  and 
begin  to  tell  of  their  experiences : 

"The  wind  blew  my  hat  off." 

"It  almost  pulled  my  coat  off." 

"I  couldn't  stay  on  the  sidewalk." 

"It  blew  the  newspaper  away  from  a  man." 

Then  the  teacher  and  the  children  may  go  to  the  window 
and  look  out,  noting  everything  that  the  wind  is  blowing : 
leaves  on  the  trees,  clothes  on  some  mother's  line,  smoke  from 
an  engine,  sails  on  a  boat.  The  children  will  tell  too  about 
big  brother's  kite,  the  balloons,  or  the  pinwheels  which  they 
have  had. 

Song: 

When  the  children  are  full  of  interest  in  the  wind  and 
the  things  that  it  does,  the  teacher  may  sing  to  them  the 
song  of  "The  Wild  Wind." 

230 


THE  WIND,  A  PLAYFELLOW 


231 


"Hear  the  wild  wind  whisper  in  the  leaves, 

Woo-oo-oo, 
Hear  the  wild  wind  whistle  round  the  eaves, 

Woo-oo-oo. 

Now  it  blows  the  kites  on  high, 
Drives  the  clouds  across  the  sky. 
Hear  the  wild  wind  whistle  round  the  eaves, 

Woo-oo-oo, 
Hear  the  wild  wind  whisper  in  the  leaves, 

Woo-oo-oo."  (Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

After  they  have  sung  the  song  they  may  raise  the  windows 
and  listen  to  the  sound  of  the  wind.  They  may  look  for  the 
clouds  blowing  across  the  sky. 

Handwork : 

Nothing  gives  greater  joy  to  a  child  on  a  windy  day 
than  a  pinwheel.  Pieces  of  bright  colored  paper  5  by 
5  inches  may  be  given  the  children.  The  paper  may  first 


5x5  inches 


PIN  WHEEL 


Cut  to  i  inch  of  center 


be  folded  once  to  make  a  large  triangle,  then  again  to  make  a 
smaller  triangle.  Opening  out  the  paper,  two  diagonal  lines 
may  be  seen.  A  pair  of  scissors, is  given  each  child;  he  then 
cuts  from  each  corner  on  the  diagonal  line  within  an  inch 


232       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

of  the  center  of  the  paper.  Stout  sticks  of  soft  wood  about 
eight  inches  long  are  furnished;  the  child  (or  the  teacher 
if  this  proves  difficult  for  the  child)  passes  the  pin  through  one 
side  of  every  corner  piece,  on  through  the  center  and  securely 
into  the  wood,  leaving,  however,  enough  of  the  pin  above  the 
wood  to  give  the  paper  free  movement. 

Excursion : 

When  the  pin  wheels  are  finished,  the  children  may  go  out 
of  doors  and  run  with  them  in  the  wind.  Such  fun  as  they 
will  have  and  such  wonder  will  be  theirs  if  they  have  never  had 
this  experience  with  the  wind  before. 

Dismissal : 

If  they  return  indoors  before  going  home,  they  will  be  in 
a  mood  to  thank  God  for  the  pleasure  of  the  morning.  The 
song  about  "The  Wind"  may  be  sung  again  after  which 
the  following  prayer  may  be  used :  "Dear  Father  in  heaven, 
we  thank  you  for  sending  the  wind  and  for  the  good  times 
that  it  gives  us.  We  thank  you  too  for  the  good  work  which 
it  does  for  us." 


LESSON  LIV 
THE  WIND,  A  PLAYFELLOW   (CONTINUED) 

ON  some  other  day  when  the  wind  is  blowing,  the  teacher 
and  the  children  may  talk  again  about  the  wind.  The  children 
will  have  made  more  observations.  They  will  enjoy  singing 
"The  Wind"  song. 

Experiment : 

The  teacher  may  ask  them  if  they  can  catch  the  wind.  Some 
of  them  will  think  that  they  can;  so  she  may  give  as  many 
as  wish  to  try  boxes  with  tight  fitting  lids.  They  may  go 
out  one  at  a  time  where  the  wind  seems  to  be  most  evident 
and  try  to  capture  it  in  the  box.  They  will  return,  some  of 
them  knowing  that  they  have  failed,  others  sure  that  they 
have  succeeded.  When  these  last  open  the  boxes  and  find 
that  the  flowers  or  a  handkerchief  do  not  stir,  that  there  is 
no  sound,  a  look  of  wonder  will  come  into  their  faces. 

Verse: 

The  following  verse  from  Christina  Rossetti  may  be  used 
at  this  time : 

"Who  has  seen  the  wind? 

Neither  I  nor  you. 
But  when  the  leaves  hang  trembling, 
The  wind  is  passing  through. 

"Who  has  seen  the  wind? 

Neither  you  nor  I. 

But  when  the  trees  bow  down  their  heads, 
The  wind  is  passing  by." 

233 


234       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

Dramatization : 

The  children  will  like  to  play  that  they  are  trees  and  flowers, 
while  the  piano  or  the  teacher  gives  the  sound  of  the  wind. 
Then  the  trees  and  flowers  will  bow  down. 

Story: 

This  story  of  "A  Journey  with  the  Wind"  may  be  told : 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  little  child  who  never  was 
satisfied.  Wherever  she  was  she  wished  that  she  were  some- 
where else.  One  summer  day  she  sat  in  the  yard  blowing  soap 
bubbles.  A  passing  breeze  lifted  one  of  the  rainbow  tinted 
bubbles  and  sped  with  it  toward  the  sun.  "Oh,"  said  the  dis- 
contented little  girl,  "how  I  wish  the  wind  would  carry  me 
to  the  sun." 

No  sooner  had  she  made  the  wish  than  a  gust  of  wind  lifted 
her  up  as  if  she  had  been  thistledown  and  bore  her  away  to  the 
sun.  When  she  reached  the  sun,  the  light  was  so  bright  that 
she  could  not  see,  her  tongue  parched  for  water,  but  there  was 
not  a  drop  anywhere,  and  her  feet  blistered  when  she  set  them 
down.  "Oh,"  cried  the  little  girl,  "I  wish  the  wind  would  carry 
me  to  the  moon.  I  don't  like  staying  at  the  sun !" 

No  sooner  had  she  made  the  wish  than  a  gust  of  wind  lifted 
her  up  as  if  she  had  been  thistledown  and  bore  her  away 
to  the  moon.  When  she  reached  the  moon  it  was  so  cold  that 
her  hands  and  feet  became  icy  and  she  began  to  feel  very 
drowsy  although  she  struggled  to  keep  awake.  "Oh-o,"  she 
said  sleepily,  "I  w-wish  the  wind  would  carry  me  to  the  b-bright 
little  star  over  there.  I  don't  like  staying  at  the  moon." 

No  sooner  had  she  made  the  wish  than  a  gust  of  wind  lifted 
her  up  as  if  she  had  been  thistledown  and  bore  her  away  to 
the  star.  When  she  reached  the  star  it  seemed  very  far  to  the 
earth ;  there  were  no  other  little  boys  or  girls  there  and  she  be- 
gan to  cry  for  her  mother.  "Oh-o-oh,"  she  sobbed,  "I  wish  the 


THE  WIND,  A  PLAYFELLOW  235 

wind  would  carry  me  home  to  my  mother.  I  don't  like  staying 
at  the  star." 

No  sooner  had  she  made  the  wish  than  a  gust  of  wind  lifted 
her  up  as  if  she  had  been  thistledown  and  bore  her  away  home. 
She  had  scarcely  arrived  when  she  heard  her  dear  mother 
say,  "Well,  well,  is  this  the  way  my  little  girl  blows  soap 
bubbles.  Taking  a  nap  I  do  declare." 

At  this  she  opened  her  eyes  very  wide.  "I  wasn't  taking  a 
nap,  mother,  but  a  long,  long  journey.  I  am  so  glad  to  be  at 
home  with  you  again." 

Now  which  was  it,  a  really  truly  journey  or  a  journey  in 
dreamland?  Do  you  know? 

Prayer : 

Dear  heavenly  Father,  we  thank  you  most  of  all  for  home 
and  mother. 


•  LESSON  LV 
THE  WORLD  OF  LIVING  THINGS 

THE  curiosity  and  wonder  of  a  little  child  as  he  approaches 
the  life  that  peoples  the  air,  the  stream,  and  the  wood  is  be- 
yond description.  A  three-year-old  stood  before  some  baby 
chicks  that  had  been  brought  to  Sunday  school.  At  first  he 
watched  them  intently,  then  he  began  to  imitate  their  peeping, 
after  that  he  gently  touched  them,  and  finally  with  a  most  lov- 
ing expression  on  his  face  he  kissed  them  repeatedly.  Several 
weeks  might  profitably  be  devoted  to  the  material  suggested 
here.  What  is  given  may  supply  ideas  for  a  study  that  shall 
continue  through  the  summer.  The  teacher  should  select,  how- 
ever, that  which  is  in  the  child's  environment  or  which  can  be 
brought  to  him. 

Observation :  Birds  nesting. 

When  the  birds  first  return  in  the  spring  the  nesting  ac- 
tivities are  not  immediately  evident.  The  child's  interest  for 
a  few  weeks  is,  rather,  in  the  naming  of  the  different  birds 
as  they  appear  and  in  feeding  them  and  noting  their  calls.  But 
soon  some  child  will  see  birds  building  a  nest  in  his  birdhouse 
or  in  a  tree  in  his  or  a  neighboring  yard.  It  is  an  experience 
to  be  greatly  desired  if  it  is  possible  to  take  all  the  children 
to  watch  the  nest  building..  Perhaps  the  process  of  the  new 
life  in  the  nest  may  be  watched  day  by  day.  If  there  is  no  such 
good  fortune  at  hand,  the  teacher  may  bring  in  one  or  more 
empty  nests,  explaining  how  she  has  secured  them — the  birds,  of 
course,  having  left  them  the  fall  before.  The  children  will  ex- 
amine these  nests  carefully,  noting  the  straw,  the  twigs,  the 
mud,  the  hair,  or  the  hay  which  compose  them.  They  may 
feel  inside  the  nest,  especially  if  it  is  lined  with  some  soft 
236 


THE  WORLD  OF  LIVING  THINGS  237 

material  like  wool  or  downy  feathers.  Pictures  of  birds  build- 
ing the  nest,  of  the  mother-bird  sitting  on  the  eggs,  of  the 
father-bird  bringing  her  food,  and  the  like  may  be  used  as 
valuable  supplementary  material. 

Conversation : 

In  connection  with  this  observation  much  interesting  con- 
versation will  take  place.  By  question  and  suggestion  the 
teacher  may  draw  from  the  children  where  the  nests  of  dif- 
ferent birds  which  they  already  know  are  built — in  the  trees, 
bushes,  grasses,  under  the  house  eaves,  and  in  the  birdhouses. 
Of  what  the  nest  is  built  and  how  the  little  birds  weave  it 
may  also  be  brought  out.  The  fact  that  little  children  some- 
times help  to  furnish  birds  with  material  for  nest  building 
can  be  suggested  in  the  talk  or  by  a  story  like  "The  Brown 
Birds/'  in  Maude  Lindsay's  Story  Garden. 

When  the  nest  is  completed,  the  wonderful  story  of  the  egg 
begins.  "Where  do  the  eggs  come  from?"  and  "How  do  the 
little  birds  come  from  the  eggs?"  are  frank  questions  which 
ought  to  be  answered  as  frankly  as  they  are  asked.  "It  takes 
a  father  and  a  mother-bird,"  said  one  teacher,  "to  make  a  nest 
home  just  as  it  takes  a  father  and  mother  to  make  your  home. 
The  mother  bird  lays  the  eggs  in  the  nest.  They  come  from  a 
little  sack  in  her  body.  She  keeps  the  eggs  warm  by  covering 
them  carefully  with  her  feathers,  and  when  the  little  birds 
are  grown  inside  the  eggs  so  that  they  can  live  outside  then 
they  peck  the  egg  shell  until  it  breaks  to  let  them  out."  If  the 
children  do  not  ask  for  all  of  this  information  it  need  not  be 
given  in  such  detail. 

The  growth  of  the  baby  birds  in  the  nest,  the  feed- 
ing until  they  can  leave  the  nest,  and  finally  the  teach- 
ing to  fly  continue  to  furnish  interesting  material  for 
conversation.  The  wonderful  care  of  the  parent  birds  and  the 
wonderful  provision  of  God  for  the  life  of  these  little  creatures 


238       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

will  appear  through  the  observations  and  talks.  Again  and 
again  the  child  will  be  reminded  of  the  care  of  God  and  of 
father  and  mother  for  him. 

Song: 

"Sing,  Bluebird,  Sing,"  is  a  beautiful  nesting  song  that  can 
be  used : 

"Sing,  bluebird,  sing, 
And  tell  us  it  is  spring! 
Your  little  mate  is  on  her  nest, 
Four  blue  eggs  beneath  her  breast. 
Sing,  bluebird,  sing!" 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 
Story: 

Among  the  many  stories  which  might  be  told  in  this  con- 
nection there  is  none  that  wins  greater  favor  from  the  chil- 
dren than  "Out  of  the  Nest,"  in  More  Mother  Stories,  by 
Maude  Lindsay.  It  includes  the  frog  and  the  dove  too  as  well 
as  the  child  in  his  relation  to  the  world  of  living  things : 

Once  upon  a  time  a  mother-bird  and  father-bird  built  a  nest 
in  a  tree.  It  was  made  of  straw  and  leaves  and  all  sorts  of 
wonderful  things,  and  even  had  lace  trimmings  on  it. 

Soon  after  the  nest  was  finished,  the  mother-bird  put  two 
eggs  in  it,  and  then  she  and  father-bird  thought  of  nothing 
but  keeping  those  eggs  safe  and  warm. 

Mother-bird  sat  upon  them  day  and  night;  and  even  when 
father-bird  would  say,  "You  really  must  fly  about  a  little  and 
let  me  take  care  of  the  eggs,"  she  did  not  like  to  leave  them. 

After  a  while  two  little  birds  came  out  of  the  shells — which 
was  just  what  she  had  been  hoping  for  all  the  long  time.  The 
baby  birds  were  both  so  weak  and  small  that  they  could  do 
nothing  at  all  for  themselves  but  open  their  mouths  very  wide 
and  call  "Peep,  peep !  mother  dear,  peep !"  Mother-bird  and 
father-bird  were  busy  all  day  getting  them  something  to  eat. 


THE  WORLD  OF  LIVING  THINGS  239 

By  and  by,  they  began  to  grow ;  and  then  they  had  soft 
feather  clothes  to  wear,  which  are  the  best  clothes  in  the  world 
for  baby  birds. 

Mother-bird  said  to  them  one  day :  "You  are  almost  ready  to 
learn  to  fly" ;  and  then  they  felt  very  large. 

That  same  day,  mother-bird  and  father-bird  flew  away  to- 
gether to  get  something  for  dinner ;  and  while  they  were  gone 
the  little  birds  heard  a  very  queer  noise  which  seemed  to  come 
from  a  pond  near  their  tree.  This  is  the  way  it  sounded :  "Ker- 
chunk !  Kerchunk !" 

"O  W7hat  can  it  be?''  said  the  sister  bird. 

"I'll  peep  over  the  side  of  the  nest  and  see,"  said  her  brother. 

But  when  he  put  his  head  out  he  could  see  nothing,  although 
he  heard  the  sound  very  plainly — "Kerchunk!  Kerchunk!" 
Then  he  leaned  out  a  little  farther  and  a  little  farther,  till  his 
head  was  dizzy. 

"Peep,  peep!  You'll  fall!"  cried  the  sister  bird;  and,  sure 
enough,  she  had  scarcely  said  it  before  he  tumbled  out  of  the 
nest,  down,  down  to  the  ground ! 

He  was  not  hurt,  but  oh,  how  frightened  he  was!  "Peep, 
peep !  mother  dear,  peep !"  he  cried. 

"Peep!"  cried  the  sister  bird  up  in  the  nest;  but  the  mother 
and  father  were  too  far  away  to  hear  their  calls. 

The  brother  bird  hopped  about  on  the  ground  and  looked 
around  him.  He  was  near  the  pond  now,  and  the  sound  was 
very  loud — "Kerchunk!  Kerchunk!  Kerchunk!" 

"Peep,  peep,  peep!"  called  the  birdie;  and  in  a  moment 
up  hopped  a  big  frog. 

This  was  an  old  school-teacher  frog,  and  he  had  been  teach- 
ing all  the  little  frogs  to  sing.  He  hopped  right  up  to  the 
brother  bird.  "Kerchunk!  Kerchunk!"  said  he.  "How  can  I 
teach  my  frogs  to  sing  when  you  are  making  such  a  noise?" 

"Peep,  peep !  I  want  my  mamma,"  said  the  baby  bird. 

Then  the  big  frog  saw  how  young  the  birdie  was,  and  he 


24o       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

was  sorry  for  him.  "Come  with  me,"  he  said,  "and  I  will 
teach  you  to  sing." 

But  the  baby  bird  only  cried  louder  than  ever  at  this,  and 
a  mother-dove,  who  was  singing  her  babies  to  sleep  in  a  neigh- 
boring tree,  flew  down  to  see  what  could  be  the  matter. 

"I  can't  begin  to  get  my  children  to  sleep  in  all  this  fuss," 
she  said  to  the  frog;  but  when  she  saw  the  little  bird  she  was 
just  as  sorry  as  the  frog  had  been. 

"Poor,  dear  baby,"  she  cried;  "I  will  fly  right  off  and  find 
your  mamma  for  you."  So  she  told  her  children  to  be  good 
and  quiet,  and  then  away  she  flew. 

Before  long  she  met  the  father  and  mother  and  they  all  came 
back  in  a  great  hurry.  Then  they  tried  to  get  the  baby  bird 
into  the  nest  again. 

"He's  entirely  too  young  to  be  out  of  the  nest,"  cried  his 
mother,  "and  he  must  get  in  again  at  once." 

"Spread  your  wings  and  fly  as  I  do,"  said  the  father-bird. 

So  the  baby  bird  spread  his  wings  and  tried  to  fly;  but,  try 
as  he  would,  he  could  not  reach  the  nest  in  the  tree. 

"Put  him  into  my  school  and  I  will  teach  him  to  swim," 
said  the  frog;  "that  is  better  than  flying,  and  a  great  deal  easier 
to  learn,  I  am  sure." 

This  was  so  kind  in  the  frog  that  the  mother-bird  thanked 
him;  but  she  said  that  she  had  to  be  very  careful  with  her 
children,  and  that  she  was  afraid  the  water  might  give  the  little 
bird  a  cold. 

While  they  were  talking,  they  heard  somebody  coming 
along,  whistling  the  jolliest  tune! 

"Dear  me!  Dear  me!"  cried  the  birds.  "There  comes  a 
boy!" 

"He's  apt  to  have  stones  in  his  pocket,"  said  the  frog. 

"He  will  carry  my  darling  off  and  put  him  in  a  cage!  O, 
fly,  fly!"  begged  the  mother-bird.  But  before  the  baby  bird 
even  had  time  to  say  "peep!"  the  boy  came  in  sight. 


THE  WORLD  OF  LIVING  THINGS  241 

Then  the  father-bird  flew  over  the  boy's  head  and  the 
mother-bird  down  in  front  of  him.  The  frog  croaked  and  the 
dove  cooed,  but  none  of  them  could  hide  the  little  bird  from 
him. 

"If  you  hurt  him,  I'll  peck  your  eyes  out!"  cried  the  poor 
mother,  who  hardly  knew  what  she  was  saying;  but  the  boy 
picked  the  little  bird  up,  just  as  if  he  did  not  hear  her. 

"O  what  shall  I  do !"  cried  the  mother-bird. 

Then  the  boy  looked  at  her  and  at  the  baby  bird  and  up  in 
the  tree  where  the  nest  was. 

"Coo,  coo,  coo !  I  think  I  know  what  he's  going  to  do,"  said 
the  dove. 

"There's  no  telling,"  croaked  the  frog;  and  they  all 
watched  and  wondered  while  the  boy  put  the  bird  in  his  pocket 
and  began  to  climb  the  tree. 

He  swung  himself  from  branch  to  branch,  climbing  higher 
all  the  time,  until  at  last  he  reached  the  pretty  nest  where  the 
sister  bird  waited  for  her  mamma  to  come  home. 

Mother-bird  and  father-bird  flew  to  the  top  of  the  tree  to 
watch  the  boy. 

"Suppose  he  should  take  her  too,"  said  the  mother-bird. 

But  what  do  you  think  he  did? — Yes,  indeed!  He  put  the 
brother  bird  back  in  the  nest,  as  well  as  the  mother-bird 
could  have  done  it  herself ! 

"Thank  you !  Thank  you !"  sang  the  mother  and  father,  as 
the  boy  scrambled  down  again. 

"Peep,  peep!  Thank  you!"  called  the  little  birds  from  the 
nest. 

"Coo,  coo !  I  knew,"  cried  the  dove. 

"Kerchunk!  Kerchunk!  I  should  like  to  have  him  in  my 
school,"  said  the  frog  as  he  hopped  away  to  his  pond. 

And  that  is  the  end  of  my  story. 

1  Printed  by  permission  of  the  author  and  the  publishers,  Milton  Bradley 
Company. 


242       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

Dramatization : 

The  children  may  wish  to  dramatize  the  activity  of  father 
and  mother-bird  in  building  the  nest,  the  coming  out  of  two 
or  more  baby  birds,  the  feeding  and  the  learning  to  fly.  They 
may  also  suggest  dramatizing  the  story  "Out  of  the  Nest." 
The  action  may  begin  with  the  two  little  birds  in  the  nest 
(made  by  putting  two  chairs  together).  The  frog  croaks, 
one  bird  falls  from  the  nest  and  begins  to  cry.  The  mother 
dove  comes  cooing  and  flies  for  mother  and  father-bird.  They 
return  but  cannot  get  the  little  bird  in  the  nest.  The  boy  ap- 
pears for  the  rescue. 

Handwork : 

Clay  may  be  given  to  the  children  out  of  which  nests  and 
eggs  can  be  made.  Possibly  a  few  of  the  children  will  attempt 
to  model  the  mother-bird  to  sit  upon  the  eggs.  A  ball  may 
be  molded  very  easily  from  the  clay,  the  thumb  pressed  in 
and  the  hole  thus  enlarged  to  the  necessary  size  for  the 
nest.  Birds,  birdhouses,  nests  in  the  trees  may  be  drawn  with 
crayon  on  paper.  If  there  is  a  set  of  large  blocks  in  the  room, 
a  birdhouse  may  be  built. 

Prayer : 

Dear  heavenly  Father,  we  thank  you  for  the  birds.  We  are 
glad  that  the  father  and  mother-birds  take  good  care  of  the 
baby  birds.  May  we  be  kind  to  the  birds : 


LESSON  LVI 
THE  WORLD  OF  LIVING  THINGS  (CONTINUED) 

IN  the  fall  it  was  suggested  that  caterpillars  be  kept  in 
the  room  so  that  the  children  might  observe  the  making  of 
the  cocoon.  If  the  cocoons  are  not  spun  in  the  room,  perhaps 
some  may  be  found  outside  and  brought  in  later  by  the  teacher. 
They  are  mysterious  objects  which  the  children  watch  during 
the  winter  until  the  spring  day  when  the  stir  of  life  is  visible 
in  them.  If  the  children  sprinkle  them  from  time  to  time  in 
the  spring  with  warm  water,  the  butterfly  will  emerge  more 
easily  and  will  be  more  perfect.  Fortunate  the  children  who 
have  the  opportunity  of  watching  every  step  of  that  emergence 
from  the  moment  that  the  wet,  bedraggled  object  crawls  out  of 
the  opening  in  the  cocoon  until  with  wings  of  exquisite  tissue 
it  flits  about  the  room,  hovering  over  the  flowers.  The  wonder 
of  the  children  passes  words.  They  watch  it,  they  feed  it  with 
drops  of  sweetened  water  and  by  and  by  they  will  be  glad 
to  open  the  window  and  let  it  disappear  in  the  freedom  and 
the  sunshine  of  the  out-of-doors.  It  is  a  symbol  which  un- 
consciously brings  the  meaning  of  the  transformation  of 
life. 

Verse: 

They  will  like  to  say  many  times  the  poem  of  Rossetti's 
learned  before : 

"Brown  and  furry, 
Caterpillar  in  a  hurry, 
Take  your  walk 
To  the  shady  leaf  or  stalk. 

243 


244       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

"May  no  toad  spy  you, 
May  the  little  birds  pass  by  you, 
Spin  and  die 
To  live  again  a  butterfly." 

Song: 

As  the  butterfly  flits  among  the  flowers  in  the  room  or  as 
the  children  watch  the  butterfly  outdoors,  they  may  sing : 

"Down  among  the  flowers  and  grasses 

Is  a  lovely  butterfly, 
Flitting  lightly  as  a  sunbeam 

While  the  summer  hours  pass  by." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

Dramatization : 

With  hands  meeting  above  the  head,  moving  up  and  down, 
and  with  a  flitting  dance  movement  the  children  will  imitate 
the  butterfly's  flight.  The  music  of  the  song  may  be  played 
as  an  accompaniment  for  their  activity,  using  a  quicker  tempo. 

Prayer: 

Dear  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  you  for  the  lovely  butter- 
fly. 

Handwork : 

The  children  can  crayon  freehand  the  caterpillar,  the 
cocoon,  the  butterfly.  They  can  use  the  butterfly  colors  in 
the  paints,  making  washes  of  these  lovely  colors.  They  may 
then  cut  out  and  mount  butterflies  afterwards  from  this  paper. 
Perhaps  some  of  the  older  children  will  be  skillful  enough 
to  attempt  to  paint  the  butterfly  form. 


LESSON  LVII 
THE  WORLD  OF  LIVING  THINGS  (CONTINUED) 

WHEN  the  children  are  in  the  garden  or  the  woods  as  sum- 
mer approaches  they  will  often  come  in  contact  with  the  bee. 
This  contact  may  not  always  be  a  pleasant  one — all  the  more 
they  need  to  know  the  lessons  that  the  bee  teaches.  With  a 
little  guidance  from  the  teacher,  the  honeybee  will  prove  a 
very  interesting  study.  Even  the  small  child  can  see  her  get- 
ting honey  from  the  flowers,  can  note  the  tongue  which  she 
projects  into  the  heart  of  the  flower,  and  can  be  told  about 
the  pollen  bags  and  sack  of  honey.  A  beehive  ought  to  be 
visited  too,  for  the  children  love  to  watch  the  bees  going  in 
and  out  the  opening.  A  comb  of  honey  may  be  purchased  at 
the  store  and  carefully  examined  before  it  is  used  for  the  honey 
party.  Pictures  may  supplement  the  observation. 

Song: 

The  following  song  about  "The  Bee"  will  stimulate  conver- 
sation concerning  the  whole  process  and  will  awaken  the 
child's  gratitude  to  the  bee : 

"Hum,  hum,  hum, 
Bee,  I  hear  you  come, 
Buzzing,  buzzing  in  the  flowers 
Through  the  sunny  summer  hours. 
Hum,  hum,  hum, 
Bee,  I  hear  you  come. 

"Hum,  hum,  hum, 
•  Bee,  I  see  you  come, 

Bearing  sweets  that  you  have  stolen, 
Sac  of  honey,  bags  of  pollen. 

245 


246       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

Hum,  hum,  hum,  . 

Bee,  I  see  you  come. 

"Hum,  hum,  hum, 
Bee,  you  still  may  come, 
For  the  honey  that  you  gather 
I  will  eat  with  bread  and  butter. 
Hum,  hum,  hum, 
Bee,  you  still  may  come."         , 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

Verse: 

Christina  Rossetti's  verse  about  the  bee  connects  him  further 
with  the  child's  life : 

"What  does  the  bee  do? 

Bring  home  honey. 
What  does  father  do? 

Bring  home  money. 
And  what  does  mother  do? 

Lay  out  the  money. 
And  what  does  baby  do? 

Eat  up  the  honey." 

Party: 

A  little  party  may  be  planned  for  the  children  with  bread, 
butter,  and  honey.  A  very  small  amount  of  honey  will  give 
much  pleasure. 

Prayer : 

Dear  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  you  for  this  food,  es- 
pecially for  the  honey.  We  thank  you  for  the  bees  and  for 
everyone  else  who  gives  us  our  food. 


LESSON  LVIII 
THE  WORLD  OF  LIVING  THINGS  (CONCLUDED) 

IF  there  is  a  clear  brook  near  at  hand  with  fishes  in  it,  the 
children  will  be  fascinated  as  they  watch  the  movements 
in  the  water.  Some  of  them  will  want  to  catch  a  fish  and 
bring  it  to  land  to  play  with.  The  teacher  can  then  ex- 
plain why  it  is  that  the  fish  cannot  live  on  the  land. 
They  may  note  the  fish's  head,  its  tail,  its  fins,  its  sleek  and 
shining  coat.  They  will  like  to  scatter  food  on  the  water  and 
watch  it  come  up.  If  the  brook  cannot  be  visited,  fish  may 
be  brought  to  the  children  in  a  globe.  They  love  the  gold- 
fish for  their  beautiful  color  as  well  as  their  tiny  form  and 
ceaseless  movement.  They  will  be  very  much  interested  in 
the  fish  food  and  especially  in  the  small  amount  which  the 
fish  can  have. 

Song: 

The  children  may  sing  over  and  over  the  song  of  the  gold- 
fish as  they  watch  them  swim. 

"Like  tiny  flecks  of  light, 
In  water  clear  and  bright, 
Swiftly  they  dart  about, 
Here  and  there,  in  and  out, 
Like  tiny  flecks  of  light." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

Prayer : 

Dear  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  you  for  the  pretty  fishes. 
Help  us  to  take  good  care  of  them. 
247 


LESSON  LIX 
EVERY  LIVING  THING  NEEDS  CARE 

THIS  is  a  continuation  of  the  material  just  suggested.  The 
child's  interest  may  take  the  form  of  cruelty  if  the  right  di- 
rection is  not  given  to  it.  Through  stories  and  talks  the  pro- 
tective or  nurture  instinct  is  aroused.  God's  care  for  every 
living  creature  is  suggested,  and  then  how  the  child  can  help. 
This  is  in  a  sense  a  repetition  of  what  has  been  presented 
in  this  series  from  time  to  time,  but  with  the  little  child 
repetition  is  loved  and  needed  to  fix  habits  and  attitudes. 
It  will  probably  be  better  to  choose  either  kittens  or  puppies 
for  the  lesson  and  not  attempt  to  use  both. 

KITTENS 

Every  little  child  has  seen  and  heard  kittens,  and  almost 
everyone  has  at  some  time  had  a  kitten  for  a  pet.  One  or  more 
pictures  of  kittens  will  be  sufficient  to  recall  these  experiences 
and  to  bring  forth  many  anecdotes  about  the  black  kitten,  the 
white  kitten,  the  kitten  that  ran  away,  the  kitten  that  played 
with  the  ball.  The  characteristics  of  the  cat  family  will  be 
well  brought  out  in  this  conversation  and  also  the  care  which 
the  child  gives  his  pet.  The  teacher  can  speak  of  the  help- 
lessness of  the  baby  kitten  and  how  God  has  given  this  baby 
a  mother  who  cares  for  it  very  tenderly,  feeds  it,  bathes  it  and 
lets  it  snuggle  close  to  her  to  keep  warm.  The  children  will 
enjoy  the  different  pictures  of  kittens  and  will  tell  little  stories 
about  them. 

Game: 

After  the  kittens  grow  larger  they  sometimes  hide  from 
248 


EVERY  LIVING  THING  NEEDS  CARE        249 

the  mother  cat.  She  hunts  for  them  calling,  "Mew,  mew." 
They  answer  her.  The  children  will  like  to  play  this  little 
game — one  representing  the  mother  cat  and  three  or  more 
playing  that  they  are  the  kittens.  While  the  mother  cat  sleeps 
the  kittens  hide.  Then  she  wakens  and  misses  them.  She  calls ; 
they  answer  until  she  discovers  them. 

Song: 

The  song,  "Pretty  Pussy"  brings  out  the  child's  relation  to 
the  kitten.  He  will  especially  enjoy  singing  it  when  he  feeds 
his  kitten. 

"Pretty  Pussy,  mew,  mew,  mew, 
I  know  well  what  troubles  you. 
You  are  very  tired  of  playing, 
You  are  hungry — so  you're  saying. 
Pretty  Pussy,  mew,  mew,  mew, 
I'll  soon  have  some  milk  for  you." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

Story :  Five  Little  Kittens. 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  little  old  woman  who  lived 
by  herself  in  a  wee  house.  Now,  the  little  old  woman  had 
a  mother  cat  who  one  day  found  herself  the  proud  owner 
of  five  baby  kittens;  one  was  white,  one  was  black,  one  was 
gray,  one  was  black  with  white  paws,  and  one  was  gray  with  a 
white  nose.  The  little  old  woman  gave  the  mother  cat  an 
extra  saucer  of  cream  for  every  meal,  and  she  provided  a  big 
basket  with  a  soft  cushion  for  the  family. 

Now,  the  little  old  woman  had  five  small  neighbors  who 
dearly  loved  kittens.  There  were  Ben  and  Joe  and  Ned ;  there 
were  Sue  and  Baby  Mari£.  Every  day  they  came  to  see  the 
kittens  and  every  day  they  begged  to  take  them  home.  Finally 
the  little  old  woman  said,  "I'll  give  each  of  you  one  on  con- 
dition that  you  promise  to  treat  it  well." 


250       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

"Give  me  the  black  one,"  begged  Ned,  "and  I'll  put  it  on  a 
nice  cushion  by  the  fire."  So  the  little  old  woman  gave  Ned 
the  black  one. 

"Give  me  the  white  one,"  pleaded  Sue,  "and  it  shall  have 
plenty  of  milk  to  drink,  for  we  have  a  Jersey  cow."  So  the 
little  old  woman  gave  Sue  the  white  one. 

"If  you  will  only  give  me  the  gray  one,"  said  Joe,  "I  will 
let  it  have  my  ball  to  play  with."  So  the  little  old  woman  gave 
Joe  the  gray  one. 

"I  haven't  any  ball,"  said  Ben,  "but  I  could  fix  a  spool  on 
a  string  if  you  would  just  give  me  the  black  one  with  the 
white  paws."  So  the  little  old  woman  gave  Ben  the  black  one 
with  the  white  paws. 

Then  Baby  Marie  picked  up  the  one  that  was  left,  the  gray 
one  with  the  white  nose,  and  cuddled  it  in  her  arms. 

"Let  her  have  it,"  said  Sue.  "See  how  gently  she  strokes  its 
fur."  So  the  little  old  woman  gave  the  gray  one  with  the 
white  nose  to  Baby  Marie. 

And  that  is  how  each  kitten  found  a  new  home.  As  for  the 
mother  cat  she  still  lives  with  the  little  old  woman  in  the  wee 
house,  and  maybe  she'll  have  another  family  some  day.  Who 
knows  ? 

Observation  and  nurture : 

If  the  children  could  be  taken  to  see  a  family  of  kittens, 
could  watch  their  cunning  ways  and  feed  them,  it  would  be 
the  best  means  by  which  to  carry  over  this  lesson.  If  the 
excursion  cannot  be  arranged,  perhaps  one  or  more  baby 
kittens  can  be  brought  to  the  room  as  visitors,  and  the  care 
given  them. 

Prayer: 

Dear  heavenly  Father,  we  thank  you  for  the  mother  cat 
and  the  kittens.  Help  us  to  take  good  care  of  them. 


EVERY  LIVING  THING  NEEDS  CARE        251 

PUPPIES 

All  children  are  acquainted  with  dogs.  Pictures,  then,  of 
dogs,  particularly  of  young  dogs  or  puppies,  will  interest 
them  greatly  and  will  bring  forth  the  many  experiences  with 
this  pet,  his  characteristics  and  habits.  They  will  tell  what  he 
likes  to  eat,  how  he  plays,  how  he  follows  his  master,  how 
he  looks  after  the  family.  Each  picture  will  lead  to  a  story. 
The  teacher  may  stress  the  helplessness  of  the  baby  puppies 
as  she  did  that  of  the  kittens  and  the  care  given  them  by  their 
mother.  How  good  God  is  to  provide  this  care  for  them! 

Song: 

At  an  appropriate  time  as  the  children  are  relating  experi- 
ences with  their  dogs,  the  song,  "Bow,  Wow,  Wow"  may 
be  sung  to  them  : 

"Bow-wow-wow ! 
Come  scamper  with  me  now. 
I'll  chase  the  crows  and  scare  the  rooks 
And  jump  the  fence  and  swim  the  brooks, 
And  show  you  how, 
And  show  you  how, 
And  show  you  how, 
Bow-wow!"  (Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

This  song  brings  out  the  happy  relation  between  the  dog 
and  his  little  master. 

Story:  Shep. 

Since  the  day  that  Uncle  Rob  had  given  Shep,  a  baby 
puppy,  to  Dicky  Boy,  the  two  had  never  been  separated. 
Everywhere  that  Dicky  Boy  went  Shep  went  too.  When 
Dicky  Boy  went  to  the  store  on  an  errand  for  Aunt  Nell,  Shep 
waited  outside  the  door.  When  Dicky  Boy  swung  in  the  big 
barn  swing  Shep  ran  back  and  forth  at  the  side  barking  at 


252       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

the  fun.  When  Dicky  Boy  lay  asleep  in  his  bed  at  night  Shep 
guarded  the  house  like  the  brave  soldier  that  he  was. 

But  the  day  came  when  Aunt  Nell  told  Uncle  Rob  that  he 
would  have  to  sell  Shep  because  Dicky  Boy  gave  him  so  many 
cookies  and  other  things  to  eat  that  the  pantry  shelf  was  often 
bare  and  Dicky  Boy  let  him  into  the  house  to  track  his  dirty 
feet  across  Aunt  Nell's  freshly  scrubbed  kitchen  floor.  Uncle 
Rob  looked  very  sober  and  Dicky  Boy  cried  and  begged,  all  to 
no  avail.  It  was  decided  to  sell  Shep. 

That  afternoon  Dicky  Boy  and  Shep  went  down  to  the  river 
where  Dicky  Boy  tried  to  forget  his  troubles  by  wading  in  the 
water.  They  had  been  gone  some  time,  when  Uncle  Rob  was 
startled  by  seeing  Shep  appear  on  the  full  run  without  Dicky 
Boy.  Shep  barked  as  hard  as  he  could  at  Uncle  Rob,  running 
toward  the  river.  When  Uncle  Rob  did  not  follow,  he  came 
back  jumping  up  and  catching  hold  of  his  coat,  barking  all  the 
while  frantically.  Finally  Uncle  Rob  said,  "What  ails  the  dog 
anyway?  I  guess  I  had  better  go  with  him." 

Uncle  Rob  had  to  run  to  keep  up  with  Shep  and  when  he 
neared  the  river  he  saw  a  sight  that  made  him  redouble  his 
pace.  There  was  Dicky  Boy  out  in  the  river  feebly  clinging  to 
a  piece  of  drift  wood,  with  a  white,  scared  face.  It  didn't  take 
Uncle  Rob  a  minute  to  pull  off  his  coat  and  jump  in  after 
him.  With  powerful  strokes  he  swam  to  Dicky  Boy's  rescue. 

When  they  reached  home,  Uncle  Rob  said  to  Aunt  Nell, 
"Well,  Nell,  if  it  hadn't  been  for  Shep,  we  should  have  no 
Dicky  Boy  to-night.  I  think  we'll  keep  the  dog." 

Aunt  Nell  was  wiping  the  tears  away;  she  said  not  a  word, 
but  while  she  hugged  Dicky  Boy  close  she  smiled  kindly  on 
Shep,  even  though  at  that  moment  he  was  tracking  mud  on  her 
clean  kitchen  floor. 

Observation  and  nurture : 

If  the  children  could  see  a  litter  of  puppies  and  could  feed 


EVERY  LIVING  THING  NEEDS  CARE        253 

them,  it  would  be  the  best  way  in  which  to  impress  the  les- 
son. Perhaps  a  puppy,  or,  failing  this,  an  older  dog,  might 
visit  the  school  for  whom  the  children  could  care. 

Prayer : 

Dear  heavenly  Father,  we  thank  you  for  dogs,   for  what 
they  do  for  us.  Help  us  to  be  kind  to  them. 


LESSON  LX 
LITTLE  CHICKENS 

IF  there  is  a  hen  with  chickens  near  the  school,  the  children 
may  be  taken  to  see  them.  Better  still  would  be  the  bringing 
of  the  hen  to  the  school  if  there  is  a  suitable  place  to  keep  her. 
It  will  be  a  wonderful  experience  for  the  children  if  they  may 
have  the  opportunity  of  putting  the  eggs  under  her,  or  feeding 
her  during  the  time  that  she  is  sitting,  and  of  watching  the 
little  chickens  come  out  of  the  shells.  The  children  will  greatly 
enjoy  caring  for  the  baby  chickens  and  seeing  them  grow.  If 
the  complete  experience  cannot  be  given  them,  then  the  mother 
hen — provided  she  is  tame  enough — may  be  brought  with  her 
chicks  to  the  school  for  a  visit  some  morning.  The  children 
will  be  able  to  observe  the  way  the  mother  hen  calls  them  with 
her  "Cluck,  cluck,  cluck" ;  the  way  the  chicks  answer  with 
their  "Peep,  peep,  peep" ;  the  way  they  run  under  her  wings 
at  the  slightest  alarm.  The  children  will  want  to  feed  and 
watch  them  drink  water. 

Conversation  and  song : 

Either  at  the  time  of  the  observation  or  later  the  children 
will  talk  over  the  experience.  The  teacher  can  bring  out  the 
care  of  the  mother  hen  and  the  dependence  of  the  little  chicks 
on  her  and  on  the  kindness  of  the  children.  The  following 
song  about  "The  Little  Chickens"  may  be  used : 

"Hear  them  peep,  peep,  peep, 

Little  chickens,  little  chickens, 
Hear  them  peep,  peep,  peep; 

Under  mother's  wings  they  creep." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

254 


LITTLE  CHICKENS  255 

This  verse  enlarges  upon  the  idea  brought  out  in  the  song: 

"Where  do  the  little  chickens  run 

When  they  are  afraid? 
Out  of  the  light,  out  of  the  sun, 
Into  the  dark,  into  the  shade, 
Under  their  mother's  downy  wing, 
No  longer  afraid  of  anything." 

Dramatization : 

The  children  may  like  to  play  mother  hen  calling  her  little 
chicks.  One  of  the  children  or  the  teacher  may  represent 
the  mother  hen  and  six  or  more  children,  the  chicks.  The 
chicks  play  about  and  the  mother  hen  calls  them  with  her 
"Cluck,  cluck."  They  run  peeping  under  her  outstretched 
arms.  If  this  dramatization  is  used,  it  must  be  done  with 
the  real  interest  of  the  children  and  with  sincerity.  Any 
element  of  affectation  or  silliness  would  spoil  the  wonder  and 
reverence  of  the  children  resulting  from  the  observation. 

Prayer : 

Dear  heavenly  Father,  we  thank  you  for  the  mother  hen 
and  the  little  chickens.  We  thank  you  for  caring  for  them 
and  for  caring  for  us.  Help  us  to  be  good  to  them. 

Handwork : 

Some  good  picture  of  the  hen  and  the  chickens  or  of  the 
feeding  of  the  chickens  such  as  "Feeding  Her  Hens,"  by 
Millet,  may  be  given  to  each  child  and  mounted  to  take  home. 
If  the  chickens  are  brought  to  the  children  or  the  children 
taken  to  them,  there  will  not,  however,  probably  be  time  for 
handwork. 


LESSON  LXI 
BABY  RABBITS 

THE  children  may  be  taken  to  visit  a  mother  rabbit  and 
her  babies.  They  can  see  the  house  in  which  she  lives,  the  nest 
of  grass  or  hay  lined  with  some  of  the  mother's  soft  fur. 
They  can  watch  the  baby  bunnies  eat,  hop,  and  raise  their  long 
ears.  They  will  beg  to  touch  them  and  to  hold  them.  Each 
child  may  have  a  turn  to  feel  the  soft  coats.  If  the  excursion 
to  see  the  rabbits  cannot  be  arranged,  perhaps  one  or  two  baby 
bunnies  may  be  brought  to  visit  the  children. 

Conversation  and  song : 

The  children  will  want  to  converse  about  the  rabbits — their 
long  ears,  pink  eyes,  soft  coats,  button  tails;  the  food  they  eat; 
their  timidity ;  how  fast  they  hop.  They  will  like  to  sing  to 
the  rabbits: 

"Bunny,  pretty  bunny,  why  raise  your  long  ears? 
You  know  me,  little  bunny,  and  what  need  for  fears? 
I  give  you  green  cabbage  and  carrots  and  bread, 
And  little  house  to  live  in  with  leaves  for  a  bed." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

Story:  The  Runaway  Bunny. 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  little  boy  whose  father  gave 
him  two  little  bunnies  with  pink  eyes,  white  coats,  and  button 
tails.  Then  the  little  boy  and  his  father  made  a  wooden 
house  that  they  called  a  hutch,  and  put  it  inside  a  wire  cage 
so  that  nobody  could  hurt  the  bunnies  or  carry  them  away. 
Every  morning,  as  soon  as  he  had  finished  his  breakfast,  the 
256 


FEEDING    THE   BUNNIES 


BABY  RABBITS  257 

little  boy  went  out  to  feed  them.  Sometimes  he  took  them 
carrots,  and  sometimes  he  took  them  cabbage,  and  always  he 
took  them  crusts  of  bread. 

One  morning  when  he  went  as  usual  to  the  hutch  he  found 
only  one  little  lonesome  bunny  waiting  for  him.  The  other 
one  was  gone.  Had  someone  taken  it?  No,  for  the  lock  was 
still  on  the  cage.  Had  it  squeezed  through  the  wire?  No, 
not  even  a  bunny's  soft  little  body  could  have  come  through 
such  small  openings.  Just  then  the  little  boy  spied  a  hole  at 
the  bottom  of  the  cage  behind  the  hutch.  There  was  no  wire 
on  the  bottom  of  the  cage  and  evidently  the  bunny  had  dug 
himself  a  hole  and  had  run  away. 

Where  had  he  gone?  The  little  boy  went  all  around  the 
yard  calling  "Bunny,  bunny,  bunny,"  but  no  bunny  could  be 
found.  He  looked  in  the  bushes,  he  looked  in  the  barn,  he 
looked  under  the  porch;  still  he  could  not  find  that  bunny. 
Tears  came  in  his  eyes  when  suddenly  he  brushed  them  away 
and  began  to  run  very  fast  toward  the  gate,  for  there  was 
Robert,  the  neighbor's  big  boy,  with  something  soft  and  white 
in  his  arms.  Yes,  it  was  the  missing  bunny! 

"Here's  the  runaway,"  said  Robert,  "I  found  him  eating 
the  lettuce  in  my  garden.  I  knew  it  was  your  bunny.  How 
did  he  get  out?"  The  little  boy  did  not  say  a  word  at  first; 
he  hugged  his  bunny  close  while  smiles  chased  away  the  tears. 
Then  he  showed  Robert  the  hole  in  the  ground  and  Robert 
offered  to  help  him  put  some  wire  on  the  bottom  of  the  cage 
so  that  mischievous  little  bunny  would  have  to  stay  at  home. 

Picture: 

The  picture  of  "The  Boy  and  the  Rabbit,"  by  Raeburn, 
is  a  lovely  one  to  use  at  this  time. 

Prayer : 

Dear  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  you  for  all  our  pets,  and 


258       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

especially  for  the  bunnies.    We  will  help  you  take  good  care 
of  them.   We  love  them. 

Dramatization : 

Sometimes  children  like  to  dramatize  the  hopping  of  the 
bunnies.  They  might  play  the  story,  or  they  might  all 
be  bunnies,  and  the  teacher  could  represent  the  child  who  owned 
them.  They  might  then  hop  away,  hiding,  and  she  might  hunt 
until  she  found  them  all. 

Handwork : 

The  children  may  model  bunnies  from  clay  if  they  are 
familiar  enough  with  the  rabbit  form.  They  may  have  crayon 
and  paper  and  draw  rabbits,  or  they  may  have  the  floor  blocks 
and  build  a  rabbit  hutch. 


LESSON  LXII 
LAMBS 

OBSERVATION  of  the  sheep,  the  lambs,  the  shepherd  is  al- 
together the  best  preparation  for  the  use  of  this  material. 
In  the  large  cities  there  are  usually  sheep  in  one  or  more  of 
the  parks,  while  in  small  towns  it  is  possible  to  take  the  chil- 
dren to  the  country  to  see  them.  Some  ambitious  teachers  have 
secured  a  little  lamb  in  the  spring  and  kept  it  as  a  visitor  at  the 
school  for  a  day  or  more.  A  few  of  the  children  have  seen 
sheep  and  lambs  at  some  time  of  travel  in  the  country  and 
will  stimulate  interest  in  the  group  through  their  contributions. 
Sheep  pictures,  of  which  there  are  a  number  of  very  beautiful 
ones  showing  the  sheep  in  the  fold,  in  the  pasture,  on  the  path, 
always  can  be  secured  and  should  be  studied  in  connection 
with  any  discussion  of  the  topic.  The  sheep  are  so  dependent 
and  trustful  that  they  appeal  greatly  to  the  little  child  and 
elicit  his  loving  interest  and  care. 

Conversation : 

In  looking  at  the  pictures  there  will  be  much  conversa- 
tion about  the  habits  of  the  sheep,  the  food  they  eat,  the 
pastures  where  it  is  found,  the  sheepfold,  the  care  of  the 
shepherd,  and  the  love  of  the  sheep  for  him.  The  baby  lambs 
are  of  the  greatest  interest  to  the  children ;  the  dependence  of 
them  upon  the  mother  sheep  and  the  shepherd's  tender  care 
and  watchfulness.  The  following  verse  by  Christina  Rossetti 
may  be  repeated  as  the  children  have  had  the  experience  with 
the  birds  as  well  as  with  the  lambs : 

259 


2<5o       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

Verse: 

"What  can  lambkins  do 
All  the  keen  night  through? 
Cuddle  by  their  woolly  mother, 
The  careful  ewe. 

"What  can  nestlings  do 
In  the  nightly  dew? 
Sleep  beneath   their  mother's   wing 
Till  day  breaks  anew." 

Conversation  and  song: 

The  teacher  may  talk  about  the  taking  of  the  sheep  to  the 
pasture  each  morning  and  the  return  to  the  fold  at  night.  She 
may  show  the  picture  of  the  shepherd  leading  his  sheep  back 
to  the  fold.  When  the  children  have  the  thought  of  this  return, 
she  can  sing  to  them  the  song  "Back  to  the  Fold,"  which  is  full 
of  the  feeling  of  this  experience. 

"Home  from  the  green  field  where  the  brook  is  flowing, 
Lambkins  and  shepherd  are  together  going. 
In  the  warm  fold  all  are  creeping, 
Sheep  and  lambs  no  longer  leaping. 
Soon  they  will  be  sleeping." 

(Songs  for  the  Little  Child.) 

Dramatization : 

The  children  may  play  that  the  teacher  is  the  shepherd 
and  that  they  are  lambs  and  sheep.  The  shepherd  chooses  a 
corner  of  the  room  as  the  sheepfold  and  another  part  as  the 
pasture.  He  leads  his  sheep  out  to  pasture  and  at  night  brings 
them  back  to  the  fold. 

Handwork : 

If  there  is  a  set  of  the  large  floor  blocks  available,  the 
teacher  and  children  may  build  together  a  sheepfold,  so  that 
the  children  will  have  a  clear  idea  of  a  fold.  If  there  are 


LAMBS  261 

celluioid  sheep  and  lambs  available,  they  may  be  used,  or 
wooden  toys  may  represent,  so  that  the  children  can  take  the 
sheep  and  lambs  in  and  out  the  fold.  If  neither  are  at  hand, 
the  teacher  can  cut  from  a  pattern  cardboard  lambs  and  sheep 
which  will  stand  up.  This  play  is  dear  to  the  heart  of  the 
child  and  makes  the  shepherd  idea  more  real. 

Prayer : 

Dear  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  you  for  the  lambs  and 
sheep  and  for  the  shepherd  who  cares  for  them. 

Story:  The  Lost  Lamb. 

At  some  later  time  the  story  of  the  Good  Shepherd  or 
the  Lost  Lamb  may  be  told  the  children.  They  now  have 
a  basis  in  the  study  that  has  been  made  for  fully  understand- 
ing and  appreciating  the  most  beautiful  Bible  story,  next  to 
the  birth  of  the  Christ-child,  for  this  period  of  childhood. 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  good  shepherd  who  had  a 
hundred  lambs  and  sheep.  Every  morning  he  led  them  out 
where  the  green  grass  was  growing  and  the  little  brook  ran 
by.  There  they  fed  until  the  sun  was  setting  in  the  west ; 
then  the  shepherd  led  them  back  to  the  fold. 

One  day  while  the  lambs  were  playing  on  the  green  and  the 
old  sheep  were  eating  the  grass  and  drinking  the  cool  water 
the  shepherd  saw  that  a  storm  was  gathering.  Dark  clouds 
covered  the  sun  and  big  drops  of  rain  began  to  fall.  The 
shepherd  called  the  lambs  and  sheep  and  started  quickly  back 
to  the  fold.  In  his  haste  he  lost  one  little  lamb,  but  he  did  not 
know  it. 

When  he  reached  the  fold  he  opened  the  door  and  let  the 
sheep  and  the  lambs  go  in  one  by  one.  He  counted  them — one, 
two,  three,  four,  five,  six,  seven,  eight,  nine,  ten,  until  he 
reached  ninety-five,  ninety-six,  ninety-seven,  ninety-eight, 


262       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

ninety-nine!  The  hundredth  one  was  missing.  Where  was 
that  little  lamb? 

The  shepherd  carefully  fastened  the  door  of  the  sheep- 
fold.  He  took  his  crook  and  shepherd's  cloak  and  went  out  in 
the  storm  and  darkness  to  find  the  little  lamb  that  was  lost. 
He  called,  but  at  first  no  answer  came  back  to  him.  He  kept 
calling,  and  by  and  by  he  heard  a  faint  "Baa-baa."  Then  he 
hastened  in  the  direction  of  the  little  voice,  calling  again.  From 
a  deep  ditch  at  the  side  of  the  road  he  heard  the  "Baa-baa," 
louder  now.  In  the  ditch  he  saw  the  little  lamb  looking  plead- 
ingly up  at  him. 

He  scrambled  down  the  steep  sides,  although  he  tore  his 
clothes  and  hurt  his  hands,  until  he  could  reach  the  lamb  with 
his  crook.  Very  carefully  he  lifted  it  up  and  put  it  on  his 
shoulder.  Once  out  of  the  hole,  he  sped  toward  the  sheep- 
fold.  It  was  dark  and  it  was  storming,  but  the  shepherd  sang 
for  joy  because  he  had  found  the  lamb  that  was  lost. 

When  he  came  to  the  fold  he  put  it  on  a  bed  of  warm  hay, 
he  bathed  its  bruises,  and  fed  it  some  milk.  Then  he  called  in 
his  friends,  the  other  shepherds.  "Come  rejoice  with  me,"  he 
said,  "for  I  have  found  my  lamb  that  was  lost !" 

Picture: 

The  picture  of  "The  Good  Shepherd,"  by  Plockhorst,  may 
be  shown  the  children  after  the  telling  of  the  story.  Some 
of  them,  familiar  with  the  figure  of  Jesus,  will  say,  "Jesus 
is  the  shepherd,  isn't  he?"  Although  never  forcing  this  con- 
clusion the  teacher  may  welcome  it.  "Yes,  Jesus  is  a  good  shep- 
herd." 

Prayer: 

Dear  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  you  for  loving  us  and  car- 
ing for  us  as  the  shepherd  does  for  the  sheep.  Thou  art  our 
shepherd. 


LAMBS  263 

Handwork : 

After  the  story  has  been  told  to  the  children  a  few  times 
they  will  like  to  represent  it  in  the  sand  table.  The  fold 
may  be  made  of  the  moist  sand,  the  road  with  the  deep  ditch 
may  be  indicated  leading  to  the  pasture.  Little  twigs  may 
be  stuck  in  the  sand  to  suggest  the  green  trees,  and  grass 
may  be  gathered  and  scattered  over  the  top;  the  little  brook 
may  be  outlined  flowing  through  the  pasture.  Again  the  toy 
sheep  may  be  used  to  play  out  the  story  and  again  the  child's 
realization  is  deepened  by  this  play  experience. 

A  copy  of  the  picture  of  "The  Good  Shepherd,"  by  Plock- 
horst,  may  be  given  to  each  child  and  mounted  to  take  home. 
With  crayon  and  paper  he  will  like  to  tell  the  story. 

Dramatization : 

The  children  may  suggest  after  the  story  has  been  told 
some  day  a  dramatization  which  ought  not  to  be  attempted 
unless  they  really  wish  it.  An  older  child  or  the  teacher  may 
be  the  shepherd.  One  child  may  be  chosen  as  the  lamb  that 
was  lost.  The  pasture  and  the  fold  as  well  as  the  road  may 
be  indicated  in  the  room  and  a  satisfactory  hole  or  ditch 
invented.  One  group  of  children  made  this  by  letting  four 
or  five  children  take  hands  to  form  a  ring  or  circle,  leav- 
ing an  opening  at  one  side.  Into  this  opening  the  little  lamb  fell 
at  the  proper  point  in  the  dramatization.  When  the  good  shep- 
herd, upon  going  back  to  find  the  lamb,  discovered  it  in  the 
hole  and  rescued  it,  the  joy  on  the  faces  of  all  the  children  was 
indescribable. 

Story :     David  the  Shepherd  Boy. 

The  story  of  "David  the  Shepherd  Boy"  may  also  be  told 
and  is  of  great  interest  to  the  children.  David's  bravery 
is  more  pronounced  than  that  of  the  good  shepherd  because 


264       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

he  rescues  the  lamb  from  the  lion ;  his  care  appeals  strongly 
to  the  children  because  he  is  a  boy  and  nearer  in  age  to  them. 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  shepherd  boy  David.  He  was 
young  and  strong.  His  face  was  bronzed  by  the  sun  and  the 
wind,  but  his  eyes  were  very  kind  and  gentle  when  he  looked 
at  his  lambs  and  sheep.  He  kept  his  shepherd's  stick  or  crook 
always  by  his  side,  and  he  also  carried  a  slingshot  and  a  bag 
of  stones. 

For  David  led  his  sheep  far  from  the  fold.  His  pasture  was 
near  a  forest  by  the  side  of  a  mountain.  There  were  bears 
and  lions  in  the  forest.  At  night  David  could  not  take  his 
sheep  and  lambs  back  to  the  fold.  It  was  too  far  away.  In- 
stead he  kept  them  in  the  pasture  and  he  lay  down  beside  them 
to  sleep  with  an  ear  always  listening  for  any  call  of  need  from 
them. 

While  the  little  lambs  were  cuddled  close  to  their  woolly 
mothers  and  the  stars  were  coming  out  in  the  night  sky  one 
by  one,  David  would  sing  and  play  upon  his  harp.  He  would 
sing  about  the  great  God  who  made  the  mountain  and  the 
pasture  and  the  stream,  who  made  the  sun  to  shine  by  day  and 
the  moon  and  stars  by  night.  He  would  tell  the  sheep  that 
the  great  God  loved  them  and  David  the  shepherd  boy,  that 
he  watched  them  in  the  night  as  in  the  day. 

One  night,  when  all  was  still  in  the  pasture,  lambs  and  sheep 
and  shepherd  boy  sleeping,  there  was  a  cry  of  fright  and 
pain  that  brought  David  to  his  feet  in  a  minute.  As  he  ran, 
by  the  light  of  the  moon  he  saw  an  old  lion  of  the  forest  with 
a  little  lamb  in  his  mouth.  Quick  David  fitted  a  stone  in  the 
slingshot  and  let  it  fly.  With  a  cry  of  rage  the  lion  dropped 
the  lamb  and  turned  on  David. 

David  was  not  afraid;  he  seized  the  lion  by  his  beard  and 
beat  him  with  the  stick  until  he  fell  upon  the  ground.  Then 
David  knelt  on  the  old  lion,  holding  in  his  arm  the  baby  lamb. 


LAMBS  265 

He  sang  praises  to  God  who  had  helped  him  kill  the  lion  and 
save  the  little  lamb.  "The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd,  I  shall  not 
want,"  David  sang. 

Picture: 

The  children  will  want  to  look  again  and  again  at  the  pic- 
ture of  "Young  David,"  by  Gardner.  David,  the  lion,  the 
baby  lamb,  stand  in  clear  relief  against  the  background  of 
the  mountain ;  they  tell  the  whole  story.  Each  child  may  have 
a  copy  of  the  picture  to  take  home  with  him. 

Prayer : 

Very  reverently  the  children  will  say  over  and  over  "The 
Lord  is  my  shepherd,  I  shall  not  want."  Then  they  may  pray, 
"Dear  Lord,  be  our  Shepherd.  Please  care  for  us  and  help 
us  to  care  for  every  little  thing  thou  givest  us." 


LESSON  LXIII 
THE  MAY  FESTIVAL  (PREPARATION) 

THE  May  Festival,  to  which  the  parents  are  invited,  may 
close  the  year.  It  might  well  come  at  the  end  of  May  when 
spring  is  about  to  pass  into  summer  and  the  child  has  gradu- 
ally come  into  possession  of  all  its  loveliness.  It  would  be  very 
desirable  to  hold  it  out  of  doors.  The  children  can  make  May 
baskets  and  if  possible  fill  them  with  flowers  from  the  school 
flower  boxes  or  garden.  They  may  sing  their  favorite  songs, 
tell  stories,  repeat  verses,  and  dramatize  as  they  choose.  The 
program  for  the  little  child  should  not  be  set  but  as  spontane- 
ous as  can  be  secured.  If  he  has  lived  through  the  experiences 
which  have  been  suggested,  they  have  become  part  and  parcel 
of  him  and  he  will  seek  to  express  them  through  the  different 
mediums.  His  prayer  has  grown  in  content  through  the  year 
and  God  is  now  naturally  included  in  every  experience. 

THE  PREPARATION  FOR  THE  FESTIVAL 

Perhaps  the  children  have  asked  from  time  to  time  to  invite 
their  fathers  and  mothers  to  the  class.  If  so,  each  child  can  look 
forward  to  the  closing  day  as  the  day  when  parents  can  come. 
The  teacher  may  suggest  to  the  children  sending  a  written 
invitation  to  father  and  mother  and  the  children  can  tell  what 
they  would  like  the  invitation  to  say:  "Dear  Father  and 
Mother,  please  come  to  our  May  Party.  You  will  have  a  good 
time" ;  or  some  other  childish  contribution. 

After  the  invitation  is  planned  which  each  child  proudly 
bears  home  at  noon,  they  may  decide  together  what  they  will 
do  to  make  father  and  mother  happy  when  they  come.  They 

266 


THE  MAY  FESTIVAL  267 

can  suggest  the  songs  that  they  would  like  to  sing  about  the 
birds,  the  flowers,  the  sun,  the  rain,  the  bunnies  and  the 
chickens,  or  whatever  else  has  appealed  to  them.  They  can 
say  over  some  of  their  favorite  verses  and  tell  the  stories  that 
they  think  father  and  mother  will  most  enjoy.  The  teacher 
may  ask  how  they  will  need  to  speak  so  that  everybody's  father 
and  mother  can  hear.  They  can  try  speaking  so  distinctly 
that  the  teacher  can  hear  when  she  sits  in  father's  or  mother's 
chair.  This  little  preparation  is  needed  so  that  the  children 
will  be  ready  for  the  visitors  and  will  think  of  their  pleasure 
first.  The  social  motive  takes  away  all  self -consciousness  when 
the  visitors  come. 

Rhythm: 

When  little  children  are  happy,  they  always  skip  and  run, 
as  often  has  been  said  before.  They  may  skip  alone,  with 
partners  and  then  in  a  ring.  A  large  circle  may  be  formed 
at  first  and  then  smaller  circles  afterward  or  vice  versa. 

If  there  is  a  Maypole  available,  the  children  will  like  to  take 
the  bright-colored  streamers  and  dance  around  the  pole  in 
one  direction  until  they  have  wound  the  ribbons;  then  revers- 
ing the  direction,  unwind. 

Handwork : 

The  children  will  without  doubt  suggest  giving  father  and 
mother  a  present,  remembering  the  gifts  given  at  Christmas 
when  the  parents  came.  They  may  think  of  the  May  baskets 
themselves  or  the  teacher  may  suggest  them.  A  very  simple  but 
attractive  basket  may  be  made  from  water-color  paper  which 
the  children  tint  pink,  blue,  or  yellow  with  their  paints.  A 
square  about  7  by  7  inches  may  be  folded  twice  and  opened 
out.  Cuts  may  be  made  on  each  one  of  the  four  lines  which 
meet  in  the  center  to  within  a  little  over  an  inch  of  the  center. 
At  each  cut  one  edge  may  be  pasted  over  the  other  and  thus 


268       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 


a  basket  made.  The  four  points  may  be  folded  back  giving 
four  extending  flaps.  One  or  two  handles  may  be  pasted  or 
fastened  from  corner  to  opposite  corner. 

MAY  BASKET 
7x7  inches 


CUT 


CUT 


Cut 

2 

inches 


Prayer : 

Dear  Father  in  heaven,  may  we  make  our  fathers  and 
mothers  very  happy  at  the  May  Party. 


LESSON  LXIV 
THE  MAY  FESTIVAL 

THE  children  may  come  a  little  early  on  the  day  of  the  festi- 
val in  order  to  pick  their  flowers  and  fill  the  baskets  for  their 
mothers  and  fathers.  If  they  can  use  the  flowers  from  their 
own  garden  or  window  boxes,  it  will  make  the  gift  doubly 
their  own  and  the  joy  so  much  the  greater.  After  the  baskets 
are  filled  they  may  be  hidden  in  a  cool  place  until  the  chil- 
dren are  ready  to  give  them. 

Greeting : 

As  the  parents  come  the  children  may  meet  them  informally 
and  greet  them,  showing  them  anything  about  the  room  or 
the  school  grounds  that  can  be  exhibited.  If  children  and 
parents  come  together,  then  the  teacher  will  have  to  arrange 
for  the  filling  of  the  baskets  behind  a  screen  or  in  some  other 
way  to  keep  the  surprise. 

Program: 

The  children  may  then  choose  their  songs,  repeat  the  verses, 
tell  the  stories,  and  dramatize  as  spontaneously  as  possible. 
Only  such  suggestion  from  the  teacher  should  be  given  as  is 
needed  to  guide  their  expression  and  to  make  it  more  en- 
joyable for  the  parents.  On  such  occasions  the  teacher  must 
use  good  judgment,  keeping  the  more  assertive  children  from 
overshadowing  the  more  modest  ones  and  avoiding  too  great 
prominence  for  the  timid  child.  It  is  best  to  avoid  any  friction 
which  would  humiliate  either  child  or  parent  if  this  can  be 
done  without  sacrificing  principle.  If  the  social  motive  of 
269 


270       THE  BEGINNERS  BOOK  IN  RELIGION 

giving  pleasure  to  these  dear  ones  is  kept  prominent,  there 
will  be  little  difficulty  of  any  kind,  and  the  day  may  prove  the 
happiest  of  the  year. 

The  skipping  suggested  before  may  be  brought  in  when  the 
children  ask  to  skip  or  when  it  seems  the  best  expression  for 
their  mood.  The  Maypole  dance  may  be  used  if  desired. 

At  some  point  in  the  hour  when  time  is  best  suited  to  de- 
votion the  children  may  thank  God  for  the  happy  days  to- 
gether, for  father  and  mother,  for  Jesus,  and  for  God  the 
good  Father  of  all.  They  may  ask  him  to  help  them  to  be  good 
and  to  take  care  of  them  always. 

Gifts: 

Finally  the  glad  moment  arrives  when  the  May  baskets 
are  given.  The  children  will  enjoy  having  the  mothers  and 
fathers  close  their  eyes  while  they  silently  steal  about  putting 
the  baskets  in  their  laps  or  on  the  floor  behind  or  in  front 
of  their  chairs. 

Party: 

If  it  seems  desirable  a  simple  party  of  ice  cream  and  cake 
may  be  served.  The  teacher  may  give  each  child  a  little  rose 
candle  as  her  surprise.  The  candles  can  be  easily  made  as 
follows:  a  cardboard  circle  an  inch  in  diameter  may  hold 
a  small  candle  by  making  a  hole  in  its  center,  a  large  circle 
of  pink  tissue  paper  may  be  scalloped  around  the  outside, 
then  caught  up  about  the  circle  and  the  candle,  using  the 
circle  as  a  base.  It  can  be  fastened  close  to  the  candle  with 
a  small  rubber  and  the  protruding  edges  opened  out,  giving  the 
effect  of  rose  petals.  These  little  candles  or  any  other  simple 
gift  will  bring  to  the  children  that  joy  in  receiving  which 
should  always  go  with  the  joy  of  giving  for  the  little  child — 
his  giving  being,  as  we  have  said  before,  a  sharing. 


THE  MAY  FESTIVAL      _  271 

Dismissal : 

On  this  the  last  day  of  the  class  together  the  teacher 
should  make  much  of  each  child,  allowing  all  the  oppor- 
tunity to  say  good-by  to  her  and  to  one  another.  It  should 
be  the  happiest  of  good-bys,  however,  with  bright  anticipations 
of  the  summer  and  of  meeting  together  again  in  the  fall.  The 
teacher  may  also  bring  to  the  children  the  thought  of  having 
God  with  them  everywhere.  The  beautiful  connecting  link 
while  they  are  apart  is  his  love  and  their  love  for  one  another. 
She  may  pray :  "Dear  God  our  Father,  we  thank  thee  for  thy 
great  love.  We  love  thee.  Watch  between  us  while  we  are  ab- 
sent one  from  the  other." 


..,.„,.    ...",.-. :  •. :^..^— 3PARY  FACIUTY 


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